Blurred Lines
by Lexifer666
Summary: AU based on an alternate ending of the 2k12 episode Plan 10, if April and Casey hadn't been switched back right away. My take on how it would impact them and the entire group as the lines between gender and personal identity start to blur. Rated T for:sexual confusion/situations, violence. Won 3rd for Best Overall Multi-chapter in the 2014-15 TMNT Mature Fanfiction Competition.
1. Chapter 1

The Turtle Sub shook unsteadily as explosions rocked The Technodrome, the pressure creating a current that they rode to safer waters. Despite everyone being relatively unharmed and having achieved their objective to get Raphael back into his own body, no one celebrated.

Donatello was taking it the hardest. He couldn't look at her. His April. Stuck in the body of Casey Jones. He looked down at the scraps of Neuro-Switcher he had dragged off. It wasn't enough. It wasn't_ nearly_ enough. He told himself that somehow he would find a way like he always did. He would figure out a way to get it working, to get April and Casey switched back. When they returned to the lair he immediately shut himself into his laboratory.

Splinter greeted the others, checking Raphael over. "I am glad to see that you are yourself again, my son."

His face split into a grin. "It's good to be back!" Then he caught himself, looking over to their human companions. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and muttered an apology.

"Please do not tell me one of our young friends here have been switched with a Kraang as well." Splinter went over to them, whiskers twitching.

"Not exactly, Sensei," Casey replied morosely.

Casey did not call him Sensei. No wonder Donatello had run off without a word. "You two?" he asked, looking between them.

"Hai, Sensei," April sighed from Casey's mouth.

"I see. Boys? Are all of you in your correct bodies?"

"Hai, Sensei," they replied together.

"Donatello is injured." April shifted her gaze to the floor and removed the hockey mask from her head. "I would go help him, but…he won't even look at me."

"I will go tend to him. I suggest you rest after your battle and discuss your next course of action."

They nodded and Splinter took his leave. He knocked on the door to Donatello's lab. "I'm busy!" Splinter exhaled heavily and opened the door, stepping in. The flustered turtle stopped what he was doing immediately. "Oh, sorry Sensei, I didn't realize it was you."

"Quite alright Donatello. I heard you were injured in your battle."

He glanced down to his forearm unconsciously and shifted so Splinter would not see his wound. "I'm fine. I really need to get back to work."

"Donatello," he commanded, purposely using his stern voice. His son flinched but turned his attention back to him again. "You will let me inspect this wound that April was so concerned about." That got his attention.

"She, she was?" He assumed she would be hating him right now for failing to switch them back before the console was shot to bits. He had tried to shield it with his arms, but a plasma bolt had skimmed his forearm, leaving seared flesh behind. He had jumped back in pain and the next shots fired had disabled the Neuro-Switcher altogether.

Splinter looked at his arm and clucked. "This burn needs to be disinfected. Where is your kit?"

Donatello retrieved it for him and sat patiently as Splinter cleaned and bandaged his arm. The pained expression on his green face had little to do with the burn.

"It is not your fault."

"You weren't there, Sensei. I didn't aim it properly the first time and that's the only reason they were switched at all. Well, that, and Mikey was goofing around with the touchscreen. Then I couldn't keep the machine safe. I failed. I failed…her." His eyes closed, tears threatening to come forth. "It's like a nightmare, seeing her trapped in Casey Jones' body of all people."

"It will do no good to further defeat yourself for an outcome that cannot be changed. You must focus on taking care of yourself so you can tackle this problem with a clear mind. Only then will you find a solution. In the meantime, April still needs the support of her friends. This will be a difficult time, and though it might pain you to look upon her in the body of your rival…" He paused and looked at him pointedly. Donnie blushed. Nothing got past Splinter. "You of all people should know better that it is the person inside who matters, not the body they wear."

**oooooooooo**

Everyone gravitated to the pit once Splinter had left to talk to Donatello, and April followed as she struggled to pull off all of Casey's bulky gear. She sat heavily on the couch next to him. Next to…herself. They looked at each other.

"This is too weird," Casey said, looking into his own face.

"Tell me about it! Just don't let me catch you pinching my, I mean, yourself, again! You're such a pervert."

He snickered.

"Not cool, Casey," Leo said, shaking his head. He turned the television on and they all watched in silence for a few minutes.

"We are going to have to come up with some excuse not to go to school for a while. There is no way I am living your slacker life while you flunk me out of my classes."

Casey smiled. "All right! Freedom pass." His smirk seemed so out of place on her features. Then something occurred to him. "Hey, I have games coming up."

"I don't know how to play hockey, Casey!" April yelled. She rubbed her face in frustration, the feeling of it foreign. The situation was really starting to sink in. Her hands came back covered in the black and white paint Casey used on his face. "Ugh!" She wiped them off on his dirty sweatshirt, catching a whiff of her new body. "Christ Casey, when's the last time you did laundry? Or showered?"

"Hey we were fighting, of course I'm gonna sweat! You aren't smelling that fresh over here either."

"At least I have all my teeth! You don't have to relearn how to talk without a lisp!"

"Guys! Settle down." Mikey, the voice of reason and somehow in a pair of white underpants.

"Attacking each other is not going to help anything," Leonardo sighed.

April gritted what few teeth she had. "Fine. You're right. Let's just hit the showers and go home."

"Fine."

"Please tell me you were smart enough to have extra clothes stashed here."

"Of course!" Her own eyes flashed in irritation at her.

They stomped off to the washroom together, leaving the three brothers exchanging glances. They all hoped Donnie would be able to switch them back soon.

Irritation bubbling over, April undressed and chucked Casey's foul smelling laundry into the corner of the huge washroom in disgust. She could feel anger welling up in her mind. Casey eyed her in surprise. "What? It's not like you haven't seen yourself naked before." She slammed the door of one of the two extra wide shower stalls.

Casey kicked off all of April's tight clothing and struggled with the hooks of her bra. When he finally got it and his new body's small breasts bounced free he couldn't help but giggle. April opened her stall door at the sound of it. "Just get in there and rinse off. And don't touch anything!"

He rolled his eyes and entered the opposite stall. Of course he was curious about this new body. Everything was completely different, even his centre of gravity. He was lighter, softer and rounder. Meanwhile in the next stall over April scrubbed her face and tried not to look down. She was tall and lanky and every time she moved she seemed to bang an elbow into the side of the stall, cursing softly each time.

"Hey take it easy over there, you're gonna bruise me up." Casey heard himself grunt back in response.

Once cleaned up and both dressed in comfortable tracks, they decided they should stick close to each other. Neither of them wanted their bodies to stray too far away. As strange as it was looking at each other, the idea of not seeing or knowing their body was in one piece rattled both of them. April decided he would stay overnight at her house.

If there was ever anything good to come out of her dad having been turned into a giant mutant bat creature for a time, it was that not a lot of things surprised him anymore. Her friendship with the turtles, the strange creatures they fought, her psychic abilities, her Kraang heritage and the ninja rat master who trained her were all taken in stride. When she explained what had happened to them he didn't doubt her for a moment. It was hard for him to look at Casey, who's demeanor and expressions shone through his daughter's face, making her a stranger to him. In contrast, seeing her earnest and confused look on the boy's face made him break down a little inside.

They both looked exhausted and he sent them to bed for the night. He showed Casey to the guest room after April retreated to her own bed. "You can stay here as long as you need to. I know Donnie will get you two sorted out. After what he did for me, there's no doubt in my mind. In the meantime, you make yourself at home."

"Thank you, sir."

Kirby turned to leave then looked back at his daughter's body, feeling protective suddenly. "And Casey?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't…touch anything."


	2. Chapter 2

April awoke the next morning safe in her own bed. The smell of bacon drifted up from the kitchen downstairs where her dad was busy making their customary Sunday morning breakfast. Everything seemed so normal for a moment that she thought maybe the whole body-switching incident had been nothing more than a nightmare. She rolled over onto her back and stretched out. Nothing felt like it was in it's proper place. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, willing herself to start what would likely prove to be a long, strange day.

Something else felt amiss and she gathered the courage to open her eyes. She looked down along the length of her body and her eyes widened in horror as she realized her pink blanket was tented up at crotch level. _Oh god, this is not happening. _Her eyes slammed shut and she kept perfectly still, waiting for it to go away. Minutes ticked by with no change to her condition, so finally she gave up and scurried out of bed and into the washroom. She valiantly tried to ignore the way the fabric of her pants agitated matters even more as she moved. Eyes squeezed shut, refusing to look at those unruly man parts, she got in the shower. She let cool water run over her, hissing at the discomfort but braving the chill until her problem resolved itself.

She replaced her clothes and went downstairs, hair wet and teeth still chattering. The surreal image of her father serving her pancakes and bacon greeted her in the dining room. She stopped abruptly.

"Hey, April," Casey greeted with her voice.

She grunted a greeting and sat down at the table opposite to him. Kirby saw her dark look and hurried off to get her a plate.

"Enjoy your cold shower?" he asked, snorting back a laugh.

"Casey, I swear to god don't even start with me," April growled, jaw clenched.

He full-out laughed at her. "Hey, it's not the approach I usually take, but whatever works for you."

"Gross, Casey! I don't need to know. I already know more than I ever wanted to."

Kirby set her breakfast down in front of her with a pained expression on his face. The blood rushed to her head so quickly that she thought she might faint with embarrassment, her cheeks hot with a crimson blush.

Her father joined them at the table and cleared his throat, trying to find his voice. "So, Casey, what are you going to tell your parents? I think you should stay here for a little while. I don't like the idea of April living at your place while we are waiting to get this situation sorted out, and you can't exactly tell them what happened."

"No. She shouldn't go there," he said quickly. "Um, I'll tell my dad I signed up for a hockey camp or something. He won't hassle me about it." He looked down at his plate and pushed a piece of pancake around with his fork.

"You mean I have to tell him," April said through a mouthful of bacon. "You can't exactly call him up with my voice. I need to get some clothes, too. Maybe we can go together and then hit the lair, see what Donnie's come up with."

"I guess so," Casey answered noncommittally.

He was oddly quiet for the rest of breakfast while April and Kirby discussed different illnesses that could account for her absence. April insisted she didn't want anyone to think she had anything gross or so serious that it might attract attention from friends at school. They decided on mono. Kirby would keep on top of picking up and dropping off assignments to and from her teachers so she wouldn't fall too far behind.

"We will probably be spending most of our time with the guys. I can catch up on some training and help Donnie with the Neuro-Switcher," April told her dad. Then she turned back to Casey. "You need to lay low. I'm supposed to be practically bed-ridden."

"Yeah, whatever Red," he replied absently. "Let's just go get this over with."

He slid away from the table and thanked Kirby politely for breakfast. There was something about the way Casey's demeanor had changed at the mention of home that left Kirby unsettled. He watched after them worriedly from the window as they left, disappearing down the street from sight as they walked.

Casey's house was in a rough neighborhood close to Chinatown. The small front yard was overgrown and fragments of a broken bottle caught the sun as they walked up to the front door, wincing as it squeaked open. He ushered April in and quickly lead her down a hallway. They passed a darkened kitchen, the counters strewn with garbage and take-out containers and plates piled high in the sink. A man snored loudly in the living room over the low sound of voices from the television set. They quickly ascended a stairway and Casey pulled her into his room, sighing in relief.

He rummaged around his disaster of a bedroom, gathering clothing up from piles all over the floor and the back of a desk chair. He dropped everything into a duffel bag. As an afterthought he went through a couple of dresser drawers and grabbed a handful of boxers and socks.

"There, that should be more than enough."

"Should we leave your dad a note or something?" April asked.

"Good idea."

He scrawled out a quick letter on a piece of notebook paper before ripping it out and slinking back down the stairs to the kitchen. Casey fished around a drawer for a magnet and attached the note to the fridge. Just as they turned to leave a large man materialized at the entrance between the living room and kitchen. Both teenagers jumped, startled. Casey's dad swayed and looked at them with confused, bloodshot eyes.

"Uh, hi dad, I mean, sir," April stammered.

"Where have you been? Who the hell is this?" he demanded angrily.

The smell of alcohol was heavy on his breath even from a few feet away. "I was at April's. She's helping me study." April gestured wildly at herself, heart thudding in her chest.

Casey's father was a terrifying mountain of a man who seemed to think that being drunk on a Sunday morning was perfectly normal. He also looked like he wanted to grab her by the shirt and pound her until he really noticed Casey. His eyes roved up Casey's body and he smiled with an even more disturbing look in his eye. Casey glared back defiantly while April shrank back.

"Nice to see you finally hanging out with a nice piece like this instead of your queer ass hockey buddies," he sneered. "I was beginnin' to worry about ya."

He was addressing Casey, while looking at April, while Casey was actually April. The whole situation was making Casey's temples pound. Suddenly there was a moment where his mind brushed his father's. It made his skin crawl and he scowled openly at him while taking April by the hand and turning them away. "We were just leaving."

Stunned, April found her voice. "There's a note on the fridge for you. I'm going to be away for a while."

"Such a slacker, Casey, look at this place! Never doing anything to earn your keep around here," he ranted, even as she was pulled away, wide-eyed by the wrist.

April suddenly found herself outside and being led from the house. Casey shoved the duffel bag into her hands and she slung it over her shoulder in shock. They took up a brisk pace and headed for the lair in silence. Once in the alley, standing over the manhole cover and waiting for the pedestrians to stop walking by the gap in the buildings, Casey broke down. He buckled over a bit, hand on his stomach, and looked like he was about to be sick.

"Casey," April said gently. "I'm sorry. I never realized…"

"My own father checked me out." He looked green. "I could feel what he was thinking about you, and me. I always knew he was a hateful bastard, but to actually _feel _it." His eyes closed and his small frame shook for a moment.

It was horrible, seeing her own hurt expression and knowing how vulnerable the whole thing must have made Casey feel. Sighing, April pulled her own body towards her for a hug. Casey clung to her for a moment, then pushed off angrily.

"How often does this happen? This psychic shit?" he demanded.

"I don't know, it just happens. I don't have a lot of control over it. I can usually make it come when I need it but I've never been able to make it go away when it hits randomly."

He pried the manhole cover open, irked at how heavy it seemed in this ridiculously petite body. "I hope Donatello has some real good news for us today. I can't do this." Her red ponytail disappeared into the darkness and April followed awkwardly, replacing the cover.

Casey was already stomping off, but she caught up easily with her long legs. She reached a hand out to touch his arm and he spun on her.

"Don't touch me! It's all too weird. Let's just get this figured out."

She wanted to yell at him and point out that it hadn't been any easier for her, but what was the point? They trudged through the tunnels in uneasy silence until they reached the lair. They were greeted warmly by Splinter and three of the turtles. They both politely said their hellos but it was obvious that they were agitated and heading for Donatello's lab. Even Michelangelo had the good sense to let them be.

They entered the lab and found Donatello predictably slaving away over a mish-mash of Kraang and salvaged military tech. He looked up at Casey and his eyes almost lit up for a moment, until he saw April's features marred with Casey's grimace. Casey straddled a desk chair backwards and rolled it up to Donatello, nearly bumping his elbow.

"Watch it, Casey," he grumbled. He looked up at Casey's body sadly. "Hey, April."

"What's going on with this thing, Donnie?" Casey asked impatiently, still in Donatello's personal space. "We can't live like this much longer. We're going nuts. How many days you thinking?"

Donatello rolled his own chair back and looked at Casey in open-mouthed shock. "_Days?_" He looked helplessly over the mess all over his lab; the charts, the research, the few precious parts of the Neuro-Switcher. "You're joking right? All I have are these few pieces and I don't even know what it is they do when part of the completed machine. Said completed machine is alien technology from another dimension and I'm just a 16 year old mutant who has never set foot in a university."

April's heart sunk to her feet. She cradled her face in her hands, knowing where this was going. Casey, idiot he was, kept pushing.

"Yeah? And? How long are we gonna be stuck like this?"

"I don't know!" Donatello yelled, springing to his feet. "Weeks? Months more likely. I might not even be able to duplicate this machine at all." His anger fizzled out and he looked guiltily at April. He sat back down, deflated, eyes on the floor.

"What do you mean months? Or never? I thought you were supposed to be a genius! What the hell, Don?"

"Don't you dare yell at him!" April shouted, fists balled. "He's doing his best. Can't you see he feels bad enough already without you coming in here and freaking out? How is that going to help anything?"

Casey got up and flung the chair away from him, letting it roll violently across the lab as he stormed out. Donatello felt like he couldn't breath. His chest rose and fell heavily as a swath of emotions threatened to choke the life out of him. April approached him slowly where he sat almost panting in his chair, eyes closed.

"Donnie?" she said gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. He flinched under her touch and turned his face away into his hand. He had never recoiled from her like that and it stung.

Hot tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. _Casey is right. This is too much._ Smoothing out the bandana in her hair she turned on her heel and left, only to meet another stressful situation. Casey was raging about being stuck in her 'useless' body, mostly to Raphael. No one seemed to know how to react and stayed silent. Casey turned and punched the wall in frustration.

"Hey!" April shouted, running over to them. "You're going to break my hand!"

"Whoa, easy buddy," Raphael said, catching him before he could throw more punches at the stonework.

Casey looked up at the small fist, surveying the bleeding cracks over his knuckles. "Looks like it's gonna to be my hand for a while, so don't worry about it."

"Donnie will switch us back, I know he will!" April said. "And when he does I expect to get my body back in as good or better condition, understand?"

"Stuff it, April. I didn't give you an instructional booklet with my body. Do what you want with it and leave me the hell alone."

Raphael was still holding him by April's dainty little wrists and at a complete loss.

"Enough!" The voice was Master Splinter's and everyone stopped to give him their full attention. "Perhaps some time in the dojo will calm your nerves. You need to learn to feel comfortable in your current skin for the time being, and show it the proper respect." He looked at Casey with a raised eyebrow. "Now, you two, follow me."

They fell into place behind him, still buzzing with anger. Splinter had Casey practice with the tessen. The weapon required subtlety and skill, neither of which Casey possessed. When he managed to slice his opposite fore-arm trying a move, Splinter told him to pass it to April. Then he got her to do a bunch of forms and attacks she had learned. She was clumsy at first with Casey's larger hands and lankier frame, but soon the movements flowed from her mind and through his body.

"Your minds are still your own, even if your bodies are not. You only need to adjust your perception to see that you are still empowered by what you yourselves could always do. April, once you became accustomed to the movements of your body, the adjustments came to you naturally. You are not any less talented with the tessen today than you were two days ago."

Splinter turned his attention to Casey. "April's gift, while in her mind, is also one that is part of her physical differences. Have you received any of her visions or feelings yet?"

"Yeah, what a treat _that_ was," Casey answered sarcastically.

"We were working together to help April control and harness that gift to her benefit. I can help you as well."

"No thanks, Master Splinter. April, you go do whatever it is you do with your little razor fan or whatever. I'm hitting the streets and doing what I do."

April was about to protest when Splinter raised a paw and settled her. "Do what you need to in order to help you through this time, Casey. But do not forget that your body should always be treated with dignity and respect, especially when it is only on loan to you."

He sighed, flipping his red bangs back. "I'll be careful okay?"

"I guess so," April sighed. She watched herself leave and felt worry gnaw away at the pit of her stomach.


	3. Chapter 3

Casey left the dojo in a huff, charging over to where Raphael was in the middle of a conversation with Leonardo and Michelangelo. "Raph, lets get the hell out of here for a while," he interrupted.

Leonardo looked up in irritation and Michelangelo rolled his eyes, knowing how much Raphael hated being talked over. Raphael growled and turned to him. "You know, Casey, there are a lot more important things going on around here than you and April being switched. Maybe you could stop being such a pussy about it and help us figure out how to stop the invasion of our _planet_."

"Really?" he replied angrily. "Look at me! How the hell can I help you stop an alien invasion like this?"

"Well if you're anything like April, you'll get kidnapped by the Kraang as part of their plan and we'll have to rescue you," Michelangelo joked.

"Not helping, Mikey!" Raphael griped, swatting at his brother.

"He's right though." Leonardo set his eyes on Casey thoughtfully. "This is no time for you to go flying off the handle, Casey. That body is part Kraang and important to them. They won't care who's consciousness is in there. You need to be careful."

"I'm getting really tired of everyone telling me what to do and to be careful," Casey seethed.

Their gazes all fell unconsciously to his bloodied arm and knuckles and Casey turned April's face into a defensive snarl. Raphael sighed and really looked at his friend. Looked through April to Casey. He was hurting bad, struggling for breath and on the verge of another fit. It was a state Raph related to all too well. He could let his Kraang intel sit with Leo for now.

Raphael shot Leonardo a _Don't rattle the cage_ look that silenced his retort to Casey. "Okay, come on. Let's go." Casey looked relieved and headed to the exit immediately. "I'll catch up to you."

"It's daylight," Leonardo hissed under his breath as Raphael searched around for one of the numerous rolls of gauze they always had on hand.

"I know, Leo. Just relax. I'm actually going to keep him _out_ of trouble."

As Raphael got to the turnstiles Michelangelo bounded up to him with a wet cloth. "Here ya go, bro. It's clean."

Casey was waiting impatiently in the tunnels, arms folded over his chest. They were limited during the day since Raphael couldn't hide as well. Luckily, Raph had thrown enough fits during the daylight hours that he had found himself a few choice rooftops that afforded some measure of privacy. Raphael carefully led the way to his closest hang-out. Once on the roof Casey threw himself down on the warm gravel, sitting heavily and looking up at his friend defiantly.

Raphael sat crossed legged in front of him, determined to be patient. "Give me your arm."

"Why?"

"'Cause apparently you're too stupid to look after it yourself. You're my best friend, Casey, but sometimes you really are a dumb ass."

He snorted and stretched out his arm. "Whatever will get you to quit you're freakin' whining."

Raphael held the small, feminine wrist and washed the blood off his forearm. It was a long slice, but didn't look like it needed stitches. Good thing too. Donatello would probably have a meltdown. "I know you can handle pain, but April is my friend too. I can't watch you be careless with her and neither can the others." He wiped the flecks of blood off of his knuckles and started to wrap them with gauze. "You're like some weird two in one package. It makes me feel twice as…" He stopped, searching for the right word.

"Overprotective?" Casey offered, rolling his eyes.

Raphael stilled. "Protective," he corrected. "That's my job. I take out threats and I will gladly take damage for my family. Don't make my job harder than it has to be." He wrapped the long red line that marred the pale flesh of his arm. "What the hell did you do to yourself?"

"I cut myself with that stupid fan thing Master Splinter had me try to use," Casey mumbled.

Raphael gave a hearty laugh. "He got you to try out the tessen? Oh, I wish I could have seen that. Did it make you feel pretty?"

Casey pulled his arm away and smacked Raphael on the shoulder. He tucked the end of the bandage in himself, scowling. "It's really sharp!"

"Oh man, you even hit like a girl now," he sputtered.

Casey got up and stood over Raphael angrily, who was having a great laugh at his expense. "You are such an asshole! This is bad enough already without you making fun of me."

"Oh, oh I'm sorry. I only had you and Mikey poking me and laughing about how I felt like chewing gum when I was a gross little brain thing. At least you get to stay the same species."

Casey laughed despite himself. "You were pretty gross."

"I know! It was horrible. I was the worst Kraang ever."

They laughed and joked a while longer, but eventually Casey's face went dark again. Raphael stayed quiet, waiting for him to spill what was really bothering him.

"She met my father before we came over today."

Raphael whistled. "Did you warn her?"

"No."

"You probably should have."

"Probably. I was hoping he'd still be sleeping it off." Casey sighed. "He scared her. She knew right away he liked to kick me around. She…pitied me."

Pity was a hard pill to swallow for guys like them. "Nah, April wouldn't…"

"She did," he said, cutting Raphael off. "I felt it. With her weird psychic thing she has going on."

"Ah." He could see where this was going. "You felt what your dad was feeling too."

Casey turned away and looked over the edge of the roof, fingers gripping the edge tightly at chest level. "I'm pretty sure he actually hates me. Brushing up against his brain was ten times more disgusting than touching your slimy Kraang self."

"He was drunk."

"He's always drunk, Raph."

The silence stretched between them for a while. Raphael leaned on the small wall that formed the ledge of the building. He gave Casey some time to work over his issues in his head, closed his eyes, and took the rare opportunity to bask in the sunlight.

"Your brother doesn't think he can rebuild the machine. Or that it will take months if he can," Casey said finally.

"Donnie will get it done. Besides, there are worse bodies you could be stuck in. The first guy they tried it on switched with a pigeon."

Casey snorted. "We should patrol tonight. Just us."

Raphael looked over to him with a lopsided smile. "I don't think so. You don't know how to fight in that little girl body of yours. Maybe you should take Sensei up on some lessons."

"Don't start with me, Raph," he warned, but a grin was breaking out on his face.

"I bet you a pizza dinner for all of us tonight that I can beat you with one finger."

Casey narrowed his eyes and smirked. "You're on."

He lunged at Raphael who dodged easily and jabbed him in the shoulder with one thick digit. Casey was used to having a reach advantage over Raphael, and he realized to his growing frustration that that was no longer the case. Even worse, he practically stumbled over his own feet as he tried to run, duck and jump with a lower center of gravity and shorter legs.

Raphael was having a grand time, poking him and avoiding most of Casey's blows easily. Finally he flat out pushed him over with a careful jab to the upper chest. Casey landed on his back and found Raphael gloating over him, holding him down with a mere finger against his forehead.

"And you wanted to patrol?" Raphael drawled sarcastically.

"Point taken," Casey ground out. Raphael laughed and helped him back up, but Casey overcompensated and ended up colliding against his plastron.

"You're such a klutz," Raphael chuckled, looking down into her blue eyes affectionately. _His!_ His eyes. He released Casey quickly and cleared his throat. "You'd better have enough money on you to feed us all."

Casey was feeling slightly flushed and dizzy. Raphael had never looked at him like that and it made him all tingly in places he wasn't accustomed to. "No one has enough money to feed you guys," he snickered, lightening the mood once more.**  
**

**ooooooooo**

April cautiously approached Donatello's fortress of solitude with a heaping plate of pizza. She was determined to smooth things over between them. She would be neutral; no touches, no raised voice, no eye contact. Hell, no sudden movements even. She knocked and opened the door before he could try to send her on her way. He leaned precariously over his desk, attaching a wire from a bit of the Neuro-Switcher to a circuit board he had made from scratch.

She waited patiently until his delicate task was done before greeting him. "Hey, Donnie. Casey bought pizza for all of us and I thought you might be hungry." She set it on a card table off to the side of his desk where the steam wouldn't interfere with any of his work.

"Thanks, April," he said without meeting her eyes.

"Sensei told me to let you know that he expects you at training in the morning."

Donatello exhaled through his nose sharply in response. "I should be spending my time in here, not in the dojo," finally looking up at her. His eyes were bloodshot and he was obviously exhausted.

"He knew you would say that and told me to tell you that you need to find balance. It is equally important to keep your body as sharp as your mind."

"That does sound like Sensei."

"Please eat and try to get some sleep," she said, concerned.

He frowned. "Thank you for getting Casey off my case earlier. I know you weren't happy to hear the news either."

"We had a very…difficult morning. He seems to be in better spirits now." She fidgeted nervously. "I can help you, if you want."

He looked away. "That's okay. Thanks, April." Donatello turned and resumed his work. And just like that, she was dismissed.


	4. Chapter 4

April and Casey entered the lair the next morning and greeted the small Hamato clan, who were just finishing up breakfast and clearing away their plates. Casey had track pants and an old worn tee shirt on and had thrown April's red hair up into a messy bun. He looked like he had stumbled directly out of bed and into their home. April had taken some more time, smoothing Jones' unruly black locks back into a tiny ponytail, bandana trying to contain the shorter bangs from flying out in every direction. She wore a black gym tracks and looked eager to train with her friends.

It was the first time April had seen Donatello with his brothers since they had returned from the Technodrome two days ago. She smiled directly at him but he wasn't looking at her. He was watching at Casey, who was setting a bulky backpack down on the couch. Everyone held their breath.

"What the?" Donatello stared Casey down as he came over to join them. "What did you do to her?" he demanded, eyeing the wrapped hand and the large bandage that went up most of his forearm.

"What? It's fine," replied Casey casually.

"It is not fine!" Donatello's voice was hitting a near-hysterical note.

"Look, I'm not going to put up with you yelling at me every time I get a scratch. I didn't even need stitches."

"_That's_ your measure of fine?" he asked incredulously.

Raphael saw the angry glint in Casey's eyes and shot him a warning look. He stepped in front of Donatello, ushering him in the direction of the dojo. "It's not as bad as it looks, I took care of it."

"Oh, _you_ took care of it. That makes me feel so much better!"

Raphael growled and shoved him roughly into the dojo, where Master Splinter was already waiting. "I think Donnie needs a few minutes before we begin, Sensei." Raphael slid the door shut before anyone could protest and went back to the main area.

April had slumped down, red-faced, on a kitchen chair. Leonardo sat opposite of her, trying to calm her down before they went into the dojo. Michelangelo and Casey were in the pit, his brother nosily going through Casey's backpack.

"Where's my gear?" Casey asked, sitting heavily on the couch. "I have a little project to do while you guys are busy."

"I can get it!" Mikey said and bounced off.

Raphael glanced down at Casey seriously. "You need to lay off my brother. Riling him up won't make him work faster or smarter."

"You sound like April."

"That's 'cause we know him well. Don's wound really tight. He doesn't even know about the thousands of Kraang getting ready to invade yet and we need him to help us with that, too. Be patient and don't piss him off right now."

Michelangelo returned with an armful of pads and spikes and hockey sticks, smile disappearing as he sensed tension yet again.

Casey huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Whatever, Raph, I'll be sure not to rattle up the geeky pacifist."

Raphael narrowed his green eyes and leveled a hard look at Casey that made him shrink back a bit further into the couch cushions. "Trust me when I say that it takes a lot to make to Donnie snap, but when he goes crazy, he goes all the way."

"True story, bro," Michelangelo added, dropping Casey's gear on the floor in front of him.

"Okay, let's get a move on," Leonardo called over to them.

"April, you wearing the jock?" Casey called over his shoulder.

She blushed beat red and face-palmed. "Yes," she muttered into her hand, mortified. The turtles couldn't help but laugh.

"It's for your own good, Red," Casey said. "Raph fights dirty."

They were all still chuckling as they entered the dojo, and Master Splinter shot them a sharp look. They quieted down immediately. Donatello had regained his calm, either through a guided relaxation exercise or a couple of thumps from Sensei's staff. Or both.

Their warm up was intense and April did not get any lenience from Sensei. He wanted to push her to test the limits of her body. She had to admit that Casey was in better shape than she was and apparently had way stronger cardio. Of course the turtle's conditioning was head and shoulders above that and all she could do was put forth her best effort to keep up with them. They took a break to catch their breath and drink some water. April collapsed in a sweaty, panting mess on a bench and retied her damp bandana.

Master Splinter struck his staff against the floor, signaling them to come back from their break.

"All right, time to spar!" Raphael smiled, clapping a hand onto April's shoulder enthusiastically. "Come on Case…" His eyes widened. "Sorry!"

April smiled and grabbed her tessen. "Bound to happen sometime, Raph."

They lined up and Splinter looked over his pupils. He was tired of the way Donatello was pushing April away and hoped he could help move a resolution along. "We are five today. Michelangelo and Raphael, pair up against Leonardo."

"Awww yeah, you're going _down,_ Leo!" Michelangelo taunted, fist bumping a smirking Raphael.

"We'll see," Leonardo replied slyly.

Donatello and April sat on the sideline next to each other in awkward silence, watching the boisterous match unfold. Leonardo held them at bay at first, and came close to finishing Michelangelo after a sweeping stroke of his sword disarmed one his nun-chucks and sent it flying. Just as he was about to pin his brother down Raphael barreled him over, giving Michelangelo time to release the chain and blade from his remaining weapon.

Leonardo was the very picture of skill and grace, but could not match the raw power and enthusiasm of the pair-up he faced. Raphael caught his swords in his sais, turning his wrists in to trap the blades. As Leonardo tried to pry them free he felt the cool slither of a metal chain wrap his legs. Raphael backed off and released the swords as Mikey yanked back the chain and toppled their shared foe onto his shell.

As much as he hated to loose, Leonardo took a moment to admire the flawless teamwork his brothers had used to take him down. "Good fight, guys," he praised as he untangled his legs.

Donatello held his breath. _Don't do it Sensei, please don't…_ "Now April and Donatello." _Damn it all._

They stood opposite to each other in the center of the large room. April opened her tessen and got into ready position as Donatello gripped his bo staff. Seeing such a dainty and feminine weapon in Casey's hands, wielder of baseball bats and hockey sticks, made Raphael laugh out loud. Both April and Splinter shot him a look and he clapped his hand over his mouth, trying to fight it.

"Hajimatte!"

April went on the offensive right away, knowing she had to make a good move early to win against her much more experienced opponent. In build they were a fairly even match, both tall with a similar reach until you counted the extra six feet the bo gave Donatello. Except he wasn't using that advantage, just going through the motions on autopilot, letting himself stay in the defensive role.

April pulled back and dropped her stance in frustration. "Are you going to try and hide from me _here_ too?" she demanded angrily.

Donatello's grip tightened on his staff and he looked at the rug underfoot. "I'm sorry. I just can't…"

He turned away and Splinter's whiskers twitched irritably. He thought all was going to be lost for the day, but the fiery temper of April O'Neil wasn't giving up that easily.

"Oh no you don't." She threw herself at the back of his shell, grabbing it and dragging him back. He spun on her angrily and she punched him square in the jaw. His brother's mouths dropped open in unison.

"Hey!" he growled, blocking her next strike with his bo and pushing her off. She circled him, looking for an opening.

"What's the matter with you?" she insisted, coming in with a quick flick of the tessen towards his chest.

"Leave it alone," he warned, striking back finally.

April flashed him a gap-toothed smile. Now she was getting somewhere. She had some muscle and she was going to throw her weight around. She blocked his strike and moved into his guard, throwing a shoulder into his plastron and sending him stumbling back. "You seem more attached to my body than I am. I didn't realize that was all that mattered to you."

His eyes flashed white and he showed his teeth as he regained his balance and thwarted her tessen. "It's not like that!" he panted.

They clashed again. "What then?" she yelled back.

"He hurt you! Anything he does to you, any mark he leaves on you, it's going to be my fault. I can't look at either of you. I need to fix it. I can't loose you," he admitted loudly, dodging a kick.

"I'm right here you idiot!" She tried to deck him again and got a face full of elbow pad. She growled and tried to trip him, but he blocked it with his staff. "Were you going to avoid me forever if you couldn't fix me?"

"I don't know!" His staff came at her and she jumped back and out of the way.

"None of this is your fault." She was breathing heavy with exhaustion and emotion. "You didn't do this."

She lunged back in on him and he struck her down flat on her back, bo over her chest, face so close to her that the purple tails of his mask touched her shoulder. "I couldn't keep you safe." His voice was quiet, defeated even in his physical victory. "I can't face that."

"All I know is that I need my best friend and he's too selfish to be there for me."

Donatello eased back his bo but she didn't sit up. He looked down at Casey's face and saw a glimmer of her. April. She smiled and it was April's smile. The one that made his heart skitter hopelessly in his chest and melted him into a stuttering fool. He grinned back at her. "I'm sorry, April," he said, and finally he was apologizing for the right things.

"There you are," April said softly, relieved. "I've missed you, Donnie."

"Awww, this is the cutest most awkwardest moment of my life," Michelangelo squealed. The others laughed and pushed him over.

Donatello blushed and helped April to her feet. He snuck a look over to his Sensei, who offered him a crafty smile. "That is all for today."


	5. Chapter 5

April entered Donatello's lab with a quiet greeting on her lips. He was sitting on a workbench looking over some blueprints he had drawn up, but set them aside politely to focus on her. Her hair was still wet from her shower and she had changed into jeans and a black tee shirt. Donatello hadn't replaced any of his gear besides his purple mask after his shower, knowing the likelihood of him leaving the lab the rest of the day was slim to none.

"I just wanted to make sure we were okay now," April said nervously.

"We are." He still felt the weight of his failure, but the burden felt lighter knowing that April truly did not blame him for what had happened. He looked up at her from where he was sitting, noticing the little smirk on her face. "What?"

"You're naked. I've never seen you without all your gear on, it feels scandalous."

Donatello snickered. "I'll have you know that I am not in fact naked at all, but fully decent as I still have my mask on."

April laughed and drifted closer to him. His hands were resting casually over his knees and without his wrappings she saw his burn from the Kraang blasters. She reached for his hand to inspect it but he pulled away. Such a simple movement that made her heart stutter painfully in her chest for a few beats.

"Please, not you too," she said, voice barely above a whisper. He glanced up at her questioningly. "Since I've been switched no one has let me touch them. This is all so strange, even for me, but it's hard to cope when even your own father can't bring himself to hug you."

He watched her shuffle back a step, eyes watering. She had been right in the dojo this morning. He was being selfish. He had no idea that everyone else might be reacting differently to her, not just him. This was April, who liked to put her hand on his shoulder when she was excited, that gave hugs freely and had never flinched from any of them. He reached his hand out to her, and tentatively she let him take her hand in his. He pulled her down beside him on the workbench clumsily, one of her long legs hooking over his, and hugged her.

His mind tried to rebel against the _wrongness_ of the situation. Wrong scent, wrong feel, wrong voice. The arms that returned his embrace were too lanky. The face in his neck was the last one he wanted to see. The black hair that tickled against him should have been red. Everything was off. If _he_ felt it this strongly, how must April feel? He closed his eyes and let her stay in his arms as long as she needed.

When she sat up straight and shifted over, her hand circled his gently to inspect the singed line just above his wrist. "It's going to leave a scar."

"I wish I had let them just blast my hand off. None of this would be happening."

"Don't say that!" April said, startled. "Do you really think I would want that from you?"

"I've never known what you want from me," Donatello confessed. The mask she was wearing that was Casey Jones seemed to have made him bolder. He didn't stutter over his words or feel his mind swim. "Do you even know?"

April's heart wrenched in her chest. "I know that I need you in my life."

"Then I will be right here."

"Let me help you. I can be your lab assistant and make sure you don't keel over from starvation or sleep deprivation," she offered.

"Deal."

**ooooooooooo**

Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo joined Casey in the pit after their showers and a quick lunch. The television went on but no one was really paying attention to it. Casey had a giant mess of vigilante get-up scattered all around him on couch, floor and coffee table. Raphael shoved a bunch of his stuff aside to make room for himself to sit and watched Casey sew together two straps of leather with a patient, steady hand. His tongue protruded slightly from his mouth in concentration. It was the only mannerism Donatello and Casey had in common, but Raphael valued his shell too much to ever mention it to either of them.

"Well aren't you just a regular Martha freakin' Stewart," Raph teased dryly.

Casey scoffed. "Martha is a hardened felon. And I'd like to see you attempt a double back stitch this even with your giant damned fingers."

Raphael waggled his fighting finger at him. "You're just bitter that you lost yesterday."

"Yeah, well it's true that fair skinned people bruise easily. Look at this crap." He shifted his shirt off to the side to show off a Raph-sized fingerprint bruise on his shoulder.

"Raph, you were supposed to _help_ him, not batter him up even more," Leonardo said, rolling his eyes.

"How was I supposed to know April bruised like a peach?" Raphael asked defensively. "She never complained about it before."

Casey admired his handwork and then moved on to perfecting the spring mechanism that released the spikes and roller blade wheels from April's boots.

"Aw man, April is not going to be happy when she sees what you did to her new boots," Michelangelo warned.

"This is the most time consuming, tedious bullshit," Casey complained. "Why did she have to have such little feet? I wish I could just fit into my own shoes." He popped the spring and the new hardware dropped down perfectly. "Finally! Raph, we're gonna tear it up tonight. Get ready to skate while I try these new babies out or you'll never keep up with me."

"You mean so I can skate circles around you while you fall all over yourself trying to find your new balance on wheels," Raphael said smugly.

"Give me a break!" Casey grumbled, irritated. "I'll work it out tonight. It's really strange being shorter, and even my hips move differently when I walk. It's a lot to get used to."

The three brothers all broke out in a fit of giggles at the mention of his shapely hips. Casey growled in annoyance.

"No, no, really though, what's it like being a girl?" asked Michelangelo.

"Stuff it. You're just gonna make fun of me."

"I promise, we won't. Quiet guys. Is it all horrible?" asked Leonardo.

"It's annoying being weaker. Nothing feels like it's where it should be. Her psychic ability comes with a nasty migraine aftertaste. Gotta admit, the boobs aren't too bad, but getting a bra on is a bitch."

Raphael snorted and Leonardo broke into laughter again. Michelangelo was more curious. "What do they feel like?"

Leonardo nudged Mikey roughly with a foot but Casey couldn't care less. He cupped a breast in each hand and gave a thoughtful jiggle. All eye ridges were raised. "They kind of feel like water balloons."

"Really?" Michelangelo asked excitedly. "Can I touch them?"

"Sure."

"No!" Raphael and Leonardo yelled at the same time, pulling Michelangelo back.

"What's wrong with you guys? It's bad enough that you're touching them, don't offer 'em around." Raphael flicked Casey on the forehead to get his point across.

"It's just a chest, who cares?" Casey replied flippantly.

"It's not just a chest, it's April's chest," Leonardo scolded. "What would she think if she came out here and saw Mikey groping her?" He smacked his brother. "Even _you_ should know better!"

"I was just curious!"

"Where is April, anyways?" Casey asked.

"In the lab with Donnie. They sort of kicked each others asses and worked out their issues. I think they're buddies again," answered Raphael.

Casey went pale. "You don't think they're…"

The turtles broke out in hysterics. "Ha! Not so nonchalant when you think your body might be getting molested," Leonardo pointed out.

"Are you kidding me? We all know that's never going to happen," Raphael laughed. "Well, except for Donnie."

**oooooooo**

Raphael grabbed his skateboard and waited impatiently for Casey to get his refitted gear on and get out into the summer night above them. He was half-listening to Leonardo's speech about keeping Casey safe and out of trouble, and half listening to the sounds of Michelangelo's enthusiastic smack-talk to his online gaming opponents. He rarely heard Mikey use such colorful language and was impressed.

"Raph?" Leonardo was demanding his full attention now. "I'm going to talk to Donnie tonight about what you saw when you were in the Technodrome. We need to come up with some sort of game plan."

"Yeah, I think he can handle it," Raphael agreed. "Now that April…" He dropped off mid-sentence as Casey skated into the main area with a cheer.

"They work!" Casey called out excitedly with a giant grin, referring to his spiked boot/roller blade hybrid creation.

They all stared. Mikey's game went silent. Casey had chosen out April's favorite denim shorts but ditched the black tights. His legs were bare save for knee pads. Somewhere in the depths of April's closet he had found a black tank top with built in bustier that pushed the small breasts up and together without the need for a bra. The line of cleavage was marred only by a diagonal strap of leather, which held on the holster for his baseball bat and hockey stick against his back. His spiked shoulder pad adorned one shoulder. He had his signature mask on top of his head, and had let the red locks of hair flow out free and wild in a mane behind it. He was still testing the skates, doing a few tight laps around the kitchen.

"Let's do this!" He whizzed past open-mouthed Raphael and wide-eyed Leonardo, tucking his legs and launching over the turnstiles. "Goongala!"

Raphael blinked at Leonardo as if hoping for an escape plan.

Leonardo watched Casey disappear into the tunnels and looked back at his brother. "So…good luck with that."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** Some of the events I refer to in this chapter are from the episode _Newtralizer._

* * *

Casey headed to the industrial district, which was generally barren at night. He felt like he finally had the hang of his new body. He was skating at an easy pace, testing turns and stops and jumping the occasional debris that inevitably littered the alleys between warehouses. Raphael jogged beside him to steady him now and then, and at one point to flat out catch his arm when he took a turn too sharply and lost his balance. But that had been a while ago and he was feeling confident that he finally had control of April's body.

Casey turned, skating backwards for a moment, grinning mischievously. "Race you to the junkyard." Before Raphael could respond Casey had turned around and sped off into the dark.

"Oh no you don't!" Raphael pulled his skateboard off his back and jumped on it without slowing his run. The wind whipped the tails of his red mask behind him as he sped through a truck lane-way, catching up to Casey. He grinned when Casey looked back at him and flipped him off. _Nothing like some friendly competition._ Then Casey tucked low, taking the rest of the lane at breakneck speed and pulling away from Raphael again.

Casey laughed as he pulled his mask down over his face. Finally he had found something that he was better at in this body. He was lighter, more agile and _fast_. He felt free and happy for the first time since the whole mess had started. Finally something felt right with the world. Here he was, geared up, flying through the night and giving Raphael a hard time.

The end of the truck lane was littered with stacks of wooden skids. Undaunted, Casey crouched low and sprung up on top of them, his momentum giving him the height he needed to skim across the top and down into a parking lot. Raphael landed hard next to him, having gotten more air over the skids, and pulled ahead.

Casey took a moment to take in Raph's devilish smile and huge, sculpted arm as he passed him and returned the lewd hand gesture. It always made him laugh since they only had three fingers anyway and it didn't have quite the same effect. He allowed himself an appreciative glance at the way Raphael's calves flexed and tensed as he rode the board, somehow graceful even though he was built like a tank.

Raphael popped up and over a barrier, then practically caused sparks to fly as his board slid down the metal railing of a small concrete staircase. _Time to pay attention._ Casey jumped the small barrier easily and then leapt again, avoiding all four steps and landing with a jolt. He almost lost his balance but managed to catch himself. The chain link fence that marked their finish line was in view and he redoubled his efforts to catch up.

Raphael peeked over his shoulder to make sure Casey had made it past the stairs without incident. He was gaining on him, red hair flying all around the skeletal mask frantically. The fence came closer and Raph didn't bother to slow down. They never did. He took the crash on his shell, squeaking the metal links and buckling the fence in slightly before it sprung him forward. He landed victoriously in a crouch just as Casey took the fence with his shoulder. He bounced off it clumsily and Raphael caught him before he hit the pavement.

Casey righted himself and pulled the mask off completely in excitement. "That was freakin' awesome!"

"You almost caught me this time, but almost doesn't win the the race," Raphael gloated. He tried not to notice the way Casey's chest was heaving and flushed, snapping his eyes up to meet Casey's gaze instead. The way those blue eyes glittered and his huge smile lit up his face didn't help Raphael's plight at all. He grinned dumbly, thrilled that he had made Casey so happy.

"Man, April should learn to skate and do roller derby or something. She's a speed demon and she doesn't even know it."

Raphael laughed. "Roller derby April? I don't see _that_ happening." Casey tucked the spikes and wheels back into his boots and started to climb the fence to the junkyard. "She's a bit more subtle than your crazy ass."

Casey got to the top and looked back pointedly. "I don't see you complaining about it."

Raphael blushed when he realized Casey was referring to his barely covered butt hovering indecently six feet in the air. Then he swung over and dropped down on the opposite side. Raphael was still trying to make his brain work enough to come up with a clever remark when he heard Casey laugh at him. "Lighten up, Raph, I was just joking."

Raphael quickly joined Casey on the other side. "Round of junkyard skeet shoot?"

"Oh yeah!" He pulled his mask back on and dropped a bunch of hockey pucks into a line. Raphael went off to search for stuff that would be fun to break, and returned with an armful of junk. Casey took a few test swings with his hockey stick. He lined up with the first puck. "Pull!"

His first two slap shots missed their targets. The next three breakable bits of rubbish that Raphael threw for him exploded into a shower of glass and ceramic as his pucks rocketed through them. Casey huffed.

"Hey, three out of five is still pretty good, considering," Raphael offered. "Who else could even get one of those?"

Casey pulled the mask up and grinned. "No one."

"Exactly."

"I think I'm ready to join you guys on your next fight, if you need help. Or ya know, patrol sometime like we used to. It's been a while." Casey cursed April's pale skin as he felt a blush crawl over his face. He pulled the mask back down to hide it and swatted a puck into a tin garbage can, knocking it over.

"I don't know. I've had to save your tail enough times against the Kraang. And Slash. And Newtralizer." Raphael started to grin as he continued to tease him. "And exploding buildings. Falling concrete. The psycho cat that one time."

They both broke out into a laugh over that one. "I saved all of you from the Kraang with my signature move. Busted that war machine right up."

"True," Raphael admitted.

"Even though you were being an impossible asshole to me and told me to take a permanent hike."

"True. I also apologized for that, so really, you should feel honored."

Casey scoffed. "It's alright, once I calmed down I realized that was your messed up way of saying you didn't want me to die. That you actually cared."

"Of course I care, dumb ass," he muttered.

"Your family is great, so I guess it's easier for you to take as a given. My mom ditched us and my dad couldn't care less about me unless he needs a punching bag."

Raphael was at a loss for words. He wasn't good at comfort. "Geez Casey, three days as a girl and you are all _'let's talk about our feelings.'_ You want me to braid your hair next?" His expression was unreadable through his mask but Raph was fairly certain that hadn't been the right thing to say.

"Fight me," Casey demanded.

"Are you insane?"

"I don't want to be benched for no good reason. If I beat you I don't want to hear one more word about it."

Raphael chuffed, trying not to laugh. "Need I remind you of our last bet?"

Casey lunged in a split second later, knocking the butt of his hockey stick into Raphael's plastron. Raph toppled back and almost hit the dirt.

"It's different this time," Casey said in a low voice. He was skating again, slowly circling behind Raphael.

"Fine, you're on," Raphael growled. Casey picked up speed, circling faster and darting in with short, sharp strikes to his arms and legs. They stung just enough to piss him off but the tactic was predictable. On his next pass Raphael ducked low and used his leg to sweep Casey's and send him into a tumble. He was back up a second later, dodging to the left away from Raphael's pounce. Committed to the momentum of his tackle, Raphael rolled along the dirt ground and spun back around without missing a beat. A hockey stick swung towards him and he automatically went on the defense with his sais, first blocking, then catching the stick in an awkward vertical clinch.

They struggled as Casey tried to pull back. He couldn't put his weight into it because of the wheels on his boots. The wooden hockey stick creaked under the pressure of Raphael's sais, which had been designed hundreds of years ago perfectly to trap and break samurai swords. Raphael shouldered Casey roughly, twisting the stick out of his grip and sending it skittering across the dump. Casey almost fell back again, but managed to snap the wheels back into his boots in time to plant himself and defend Raph's advance with a firm elbow across his jaw.

Raphael grunted, and Casey, quick little bastard that he was, had somehow gotten his back. Raphael wasn't sure if it was the mask, the familiar spiked costume or the fact that Casey had managed to strike him across the top back of his shell so hard that splinters of baseball bat flew past his cheeks, but the barrier in his mind crashed down. It was just him and Casey getting in some extra rough sparring as he turned on instinct to deliver an open handed strike directly to Casey's chest.

It was only then, when he felt the twin cushions of April's breasts beneath his hand, that he realized his mistake. His hand was almost the size of her entire torso. The impact sent Casey flying and he sprawled onto his back. _Shit shit shit._ Casey was gasping for breath, and Raphael knelt beside him, gently removing the mask. _Oh man if I broke her ribs the guys are gonna kill me_, he thought frantically.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry." The pained expression on April's face as Casey caught his breath made guilt crash through Raphael.

Finally his breathing evened out and Casey managed a lopsided smile. "It's not over, you just knocked the wind outta me."

"Are you kidding me?" Raphael took a sai and planted it next to his throat in the dirt. "There, it's over. I win."

"Are you sure?" he asked, gesturing with his eyes to look down.

Raphael's eyes followed Casey's glance. Casey had pressed a taser against the middle of his plastron. He shook his head. "I still win. If I had hit you full force you'd be a puddle."

Casey's smile widened smugly. "I didn't have to miss the back of your head with my bat."

"You asshole," Raph conceded.

Raphael helped him to his feet, and Casey, as cocky as he had been laying down, was unsteady. "I think I'm gonna need a lift back to April's place. You really knocked the wind out of my sails."

"Shit, did I break a rib?"

"Don't flatter yourself. I know what that feels like."

Raphael rolled his eyes and hunted down Casey's hockey stick. Then he knelt down on one knee and let Casey clamber up onto the back of his shell. Arms and legs circled around neck and shell securely. He kept to even surfaces to prevent extra jostling to his friend and skateboarded them back towards April's house.

It was really late and likely everyone was already asleep in the O'Neil and Hamato homes. He skated a steady pace and tried to keep his mind blank. Casey had needed 'a lift' home before. The guy was a brawler and gave his all in a real fight. Sometimes there was nothing left after, once the adrenaline dulled and the reality of the hits he took sunk in.

Somehow Casey being female was doing things to his head. Things he didn't want to think about. So he wouldn't. He was doing a really good job of it too, until he started feeling feather-light touches along the back of his neck and shoulders. He suppressed a shiver as soft fingertips repeatedly dipped down between his shoulders were skin and shell met. He wanted to yell back at him and ask what the hell he was doing, but didn't trust himself to form proper words. Casey leaned over to press his lips close to Raphael's ear and he almost sent both of them careening off his board.

"You owe me a new bat," Casey said.

It was then that Raphael realized what Casey had been doing. He was removing the little shards of baseball bat that he had been showered with when Casey cracked the damn thing over his shell.

"Like _hell_ I do," Raphael grumbled through clenched teeth. He was sorely tempted to just dump him off on the O'Neil's plush lawn without slowing his board down. He might even _speed up_.


	7. Chapter 7

Leonardo had just beaten Raphael in their sparring match, who sat sulking on the sideline next his smiling brother in blue as Master Spinter's voice cut through the silence.

"Hajimatte!"

April and Donatello were teamed against Michelangelo and all three of them snapped into action at his command. Michelangelo had a special kind of flair with the nunchaku and his movements were unpredictable. Donatello engaged him head on, distracting him from April so she could circle behind him. Michelangelo saw through their ploy and flipped back, kicking Donatello's bo in midair to throw him off and buy himself a few seconds to defend against April's tessen. She went from being behind him and sweeping her weapon to his unprotected side to having him suddenly off to her right.

_Damn he's fast._ He flicked a nun-chuck out towards her tessen as it swept through the air where Mikey had just been and the impact jolted through her hand painfully. She recoiled and barely managed to keep her grip on it. Then Donnie was in front of her, forcing Michelangelo back towards the wall. He bent to go in for a low exaggerated sweep of Michelangelo's feet. As Mikey tried to avoid it and was preoccupied with looking down at the bo, April rolled back to back over Donatello's shell. The end result was Mikey in a strained crouch, bo staff across his throat and tessen against his neck.

His eyes bulged in surprise at his precarious situation. "Uncle!"

"Yamete!" They lined up before their Sensei. "April and Donatello, you two are working admirably together," Master Splinter complimented. "Michelangelo, you were doing very well until you focused only on Donatello despite having two opponents."

"Hai, Sensei," Mikey noted, nodding his head slightly.

"That is all for today."

April had been training with them every morning for the last week. At first, she worried that Master Splinter pairing her and Donnie together for sparring would irritate Donatello. She was a novice still and didn't want to hold him back or get in his way. Instead their movements actually flowed together and complimented one another. Donatello could attack and defend with the range his bo staff afforded. April could defend his back and flank if their opponent got through his guard long enough for him to recover his offense.

Whenever they had fought their enemies before they had always watched out for each other. They could predict each others movements, reactions and nuances with startling accuracy. Combined with the fact that Donatello no longer treated her like a porcelain doll or fell over his own feet at her touch, they had become a formidable team.

A new routine of training and work had started to form and Donatello found that it soothed him somewhat. The pain of seeing her wasn't as sharp as before, and the more he paid attention, the more he saw April translated through Casey's body. If he wasn't looking at her, sometimes he could feel the presence of her energy, like a ghost in the room. True to her word, April was doing her best to keep him balanced. She encouraged him to leave his lab for meals with his brothers so he didn't disconnect. Much of her day was devoted to him in his lab. Donatello enjoyed her company and truly appreciated what she was trying to do for him. Sometimes he needed to talk his ideas out and would bounce them off of her. Other times he needed a general go-for or smaller hands capable of doing finer work. When he needed quiet she would do homework or go occupy her own time.

They settled into a comfortable camaraderie. While it stung knowing Donatello had lost all physical attraction to her, she was seeing a whole other side to him that she never knew existed. His movements were graceful and unrestrained. He rarely stuttered. When she teased him his backtalk was sharp and witty. When they fought he treated her like an equal. Her sweet, shy and fumbling Donnie was gone, replaced by a friend without the clutter and complication of romance. It was what she thought she had always wanted from him but now it left an empty space in her heart. At some unknown point in time her lingering touches and quick cheek kisses had started to mean something more. _Who am I kidding_? she asked herself. _I've never given a 'friendly' kiss to any of the others._That spark in his eye whenever she was around him had disappeared, and she realized that Donatello hadn't just had a crush on her. _He loved me. _

April checked her cell phone for the time and sighed. It was getting late and Donnie was not having a good night. He was sitting at his desk, checking between his blueprints and the actual mess of wires and machinery all over the place.

"That's not going to work either," he said to himself, furiously erasing with narrowed eyes and protruding tongue. "And if _that's_ not _there_ then none of this makes sense anymore." He sighed heavily in defeat. "I'm going to have to draw these again from the start."

He swiveled over to his computer, typing angrily and much faster than his hands should have allowed.

"What is it, Donnie?" she asked, yawning.

"I'll never be able to scavenge all this stuff from the military dump," he grumbled.

"How about assembling smaller pieces to make what you need? My dad might even be able to buy a few parts."

"Maybe. I might be able to patch something together with old and new components." He tapped his chin thoughtfully with a finger. "We would need everyone if we go to the military junkyard. The larger pieces of machinery will be too heavy to carry. We need the ShellRaiser close by but not too obvious. We can post Casey as a sentry to sense if there is any activity with the military personnel. Does he have any control over your ability yet?"

"Not really." April scoffed. "I can't believe the outfit he has me running around in. Not that the guys seem to be complaining about it, which is kind of creepy."

"I'm with you on that." His brow furrowed. "He's managed to erase any trace of your personality."

"Oh? I thought you would like the new look."

Donatello's face wrinkled in distaste. "Not at all. It actually makes things a little easier, to be honest. All I see when I look at him is Casey Jones." He dipped his head back down to his papers.

She wanted to ask what he saw when he looked at her, but it seemed petty at the moment. She probably wouldn't like the answer anyway. "Do we have any other options?"

"We could break into TCRI again and see what we can steal."

April groaned and rubbed her face. "Who would have thought we would have to become such major felons to save the world?" He chuckled at that. She checked the time again. They had to be up in less than six hours. "We should call it a night. Are you going to make me drag you out of here kicking and screaming?"

"Like you could," he snickered. "I just want to finish this up and I swear I will sleep."

"You are the worst liar. I'm not leaving until you do."

He sighed. He had hit a wall anyway. "Fine, but only because I don't want Master Splinter kicking our shells all over the dojo in the morning. I swear he can smell weakness."

April snorted in amused agreement.

Donatello got up from his chair and stretched out the kinks in his neck and shoulders. She pretended not to notice the way his muscles rippled under his green skin and failed miserably. He started organizing the notes to his projects the way he always did, in small piles ordered from most to least urgent.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" he asked through a yawn, rubbing his eyes.

"Nah, I'm just going to crash on the couch. Night, Donnie."

**oooooooo**

April winced as the four brothers broke the silence. First it was the shuffling of feet and exaggerated yawns and groans. Then the clatter of kitchen utensils and finally the sleepy husk of their voices. Only Donatello knew she had slept over, but he probably didn't even remember what day it was let alone _that_ detail. The back of the couch tucked her away unseen in the pit across from the kitchen. She stayed still and listened to their candid chatter with a smile.

Donatello's coffee maker started grinding. "Mikey, why are you watching me like that? I swear if you've tampered with my beans again I will shove my staff so far up your…"

"Hey, Donnie, chill!" Michelangelo protested. "It just smells really good. Can I have some?"

"No!" All three voices in unison.

"Fine!" he answered petulantly. "I should let you jerks make your own breakfast."

"Raph, what the hell happened to your shell?" Leonardo's voice.

"Nothing," Raphael lied.

_Hiss._ Bacon and eggs hitting a hot frying pan. Leo wasn't dropping it. "What do you mean nothing? It looks like a knife wound. It almost caught your shoulder."

Donnie's voice next. "The angle and shape of the scute damage definitely suggests a small bladed weapon. That's going to take at least a year to grow out."

"Back off!" Raphael barked. "And it's not even close to my damned shoulder. Casey and I got into a little unexpected tumble with some Purple Dragons last night. No big."

"Is he alright?" Leonardo asked, sounding worried. April was a bit concerned herself.

"They couldn't even touch him. He's so friggin' fast on those skate boot things." Raphael almost sounded like he was bragging.

"Maybe you guys should cool it a bit. Between our patrols and you two being out all hours of the night you're getting sloppy."

"Can it, Leo. I'm not the only one pulling late nights around here," Raphael snapped.

Grumbled curses from Donatello.

"You guys are spending a lot more time together than usual," Michelangelo pointed out over the hiss of his cooking. "I guess Casey being a girl has really brought your bromance to the next level."

Raphael's growl was followed by a thump. "Ow!" Then a slapping sound. "_Ow!_ You too, Donnie? What the hell?" A few seconds passed in which April could almost hear the wheels turning in Mikey's head. "Oh. Sorry, Donnie."

They cleaned up their act and language immediately once Sensei entered the main level. "Good morning, my sons." They greeted him warmly and April suddenly felt a pang. Casey was home with her father and she hadn't even left him a message to let him know she wouldn't be home. "And good morning, April." She was startled out of her thoughts.

The boys were dead silent as she stretched and yawned and pretended she had just woken up. The drowsy sway in her step wasn't an act as she made her way over to their dining area. "Sorry, Sensei, we were up so late in the lab it seemed pointless to go home."

"No trouble, April. Please, join us for breakfast."

"Donnie, do you mind if I steal some of your coffee?" she asked.

He smiled wryly as he took the first sip of his own. "Sure April, go ahead and sit, I'll make it for you while I'm here."

She returned his smile warmly as she sat down. Donatello had only made her coffee once or twice since she had met him, but he knew exactly how she liked it without asking. It made her wonder how many little acts of consideration and kindness had gone unnoticed by her throughout their friendship.


	8. Chapter 8

Leonardo quirked an ice blue eye testily to the other couch in the sunken living room. It was occupied by Casey and Raphael, who sat side by side playing a first person shooter video game. The raucous they were generating made it impossible to focus on the magazine he had been quietly reading before they descended upon him. Between their yelling and the sounds of gunfire coming from the television, he gave up and sought out Michelangelo and April in the kitchen.

"Mind if I join the grown-up table?" he asked.

April had spent a lot of her day out of Donatello's lab, and to keep busy she taught Michelangelo how to make chocolate chip cookies. They were snacking on them and complimenting each other on how well they had turned out. April laughed. "Only if you consider the milk and cookies crowd the grown-ups."

"Hah! Look at this sweet sniper rifle I found. I'm gonna find you and pop your little head," Raphael bragged from the pit.

"I've never played this stupid game before, I have no idea where I'm even going. Why are we on competitive mode?" Casey replied loudly, irritated.

"'Cause otherwise I couldn't do _this_…" Casey's character's head exploded into a red shower of gore.

"Damn it, Raph, I have only have one respawn left!"

Leonardo rolled his eyes and got himself a cookie. "And I thought it would be quieter over here." He turned to April. "Donnie not needing much help today?"

"I've been a little nervous with today's project," she admitted. "He's making…grenades."

"Garbage grenades for the ShellRaiser?" Michelangelo asked.

"No. Real grenades. He wants you guys to have them to make your grand exit from TCRI tomorrow."

"Aww son of a…" Casey yelled out. He flicked Raphael about where his ear should be and they started laughing and swatting at each other.

"Live grenades?" Leonardo asked, shocked. "In the lair?"

"That is so awesome!" Mikey cheered. "I can't wait!"

"You aren't getting a _grenade_, Mikey," Leo said sharply over the increasing noise level across the lair.

April watched Casey launch himself at Raphael, trying to get him in a headlock. Their 'play fights' were well known for being overly boisterous. Anyone trying to break them up got pulled into the fray, where they were ganged up on and left with a few new bruises for their trouble. Seeing them laughing and grappling on the couch sent a pang of jealousy through her. It had been eight days since they had switched bodies. She was working hard to keep up with school, training harder and trying to help Donnie. Meanwhile all Casey did was goof off with Raph.

"I can't watch myself be this immature." She managed a smile for Leonardo and Michelangelo. "I think I'll go brave Donnie playing with explosives."

The brothers in orange and blue ate their cookies and watched the show with amusement. Raphael was standing, struggling to unhook Casey's arm from around his throat. He had a good choke sunk in and Raphael gritted his teeth as he tried to pry Casey's arm out from under his chin. Then Raphael shook back and forth a couple of times, bulldozing around the pit angrily. His brothers caught an eye full of April's yoga pant clad butt as Casey struggled to stay centered on Raphael's shell where his hands couldn't reach him.

"Get offa me," Raphael growled. His voice was low and strained since Casey's forearm was still jammed against his throat.

"Submit!" Casey yelled back, trying not to laugh and hanging on for dear life.

Leonardo and Michelangelo lowered a glass of milk and a cookie, respectively, and exchanged glances. Casey was loosing his grip on Raph's neck, sliding slowly down the back of his shell. The further down he slid, the further up his torso his blue tee shirt rode.

Raphael felt Casey's grip slip and smiled triumphantly. "Ha! Just wait 'til I get my hands on you."

By the time he had fallen to the floor the stunned brothers in the kitchen knew for a fact that Casey was wearing a tan sports bra.

Casey avoided Raphael's first tackle by throwing himself over the coffee table with a high pitched squeal of glee, landing in a heap on the opposite side of it. Growling, Raph pushed the table out of the way with a foot and pounced, pinning Casey underneath him. The table skidded another few inches away from the grappling pair as someone kicked out against it. Mikey and Leo looked on uncomfortably as Casey tried to escape from under Raph, his stomach to the ground, face flushed, both panting heavily.

"Leo?" Michelangelo asked, unable to take his eyes off the scene. "Raph and Casey always wrestled around before, right?"

"_Riiight_," Leonardo answered slowly.

"So, this isn't weird at all, right?" Michelangelo clarified, shifting in his seat.

"Not at all," he replied, watching in horror as Casey managed to turn sharply so they were facing each other.

Raphael got up with Casey, holding him out slightly from his plastron as Casey tried to kick out at him. They were both laughing hysterically. "You are _so_ done!" Raphael shouted triumphantly. He hoisted Casey up above his head, only needing one hand to hold him up around his slim little waist. Casey was giggling maniacally. "Time to go down." Raphael arced his arm in a fluid motion, tossing Casey onto the couch hard enough to make it creak. Casey had known what was coming and relaxed his back, letting himself fall flat on the cushions without getting hurt. The back of the couch hid Casey from the wide-eyed brothers, but they heard him let out a girlie scream as Raph flopped down on the couch.

The couch moved a couple of inches to the side as Raph crashed down, presumably partially on top of Casey from his reaction. "Oomph!"

Leonardo put his face in his palm as he heard them drop off the couch and scuffle on the floor, breathing heavily and laughing. Somehow it was even worse when he couldn't see them.

"Ha! Eat it!"

"Ugh, Raph, you're so heavy. Ease up."

"Just submit. You know you have no game from the bottom."

"Oh ya? I'm gonna to choke you out with your own mask."

"Don't touch the mask," Raphael growled. Scuffles. Panting. Grunts. Coffee table bumped another foot out of place. "If you take that off you're getting hog-tied."

Leonardo gave up. "Okay, it's weird. Let's get out of here," he said tightly, tugging Michelangelo along by the arm. They both darted for Donatello's lab and entered abruptly, looking frazzled.

"Don't let Mikey touch anything," Donatello warned. "What's wrong with you guys?"

"I think we just watched some messed up WWE show in our living room," Leonardo confessed.

"Either that or the beginning of a…"

Leonardo clapped his hand over Mikey's mouth roughly for a moment. "I need eye soap. And ear soap. And therapy."

"I guess I left at the right time," April said, absolutely mortified. She blushed and couldn't look them in the eye.

Donatello stared daggers at his brothers for their complete lack of discretion and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you know how they get. It's nothing."

"I'm sorry, April." Leonardo felt horrible for his insensitivity. "It was just seeing them carry on like that. I know it shouldn't be any different than when they wrestled around with Casey in his proper body…"

"But it was totally weird," Michelangelo said in a mock frightened voice.

"_Enough_, guys," Donatello warned. "We get it."

April let the warm hand on her shoulder anchor her emotions. She shouldn't be embarrassed. She let out a long breath to calm herself.

"Where's the grenades?" Mikey asked excitedly, jumping topics. "Can I have one?"

"No! They are locked up," Donatello said impatiently.

"Can I have one when we go blow up TCRI tomorrow?"

"We are not blowing up TCRI," Leonardo said sternly. He gave Donnie an uncertain gaze. "Are we?"

"I need cover long enough to hack into their computer and then we need to get out of there without being followed. We have the Kraang riled up and probably on high alert. The grenades are just insurance."

Michelangelo bounced on the balls of his feet in childlike bliss. "You're my coolest brother."

"You still don't get one," Leonardo snapped. "Donnie, what is your objective and how much time do you need?"

"First, I am going find any information I can about the Neuro-Switcher. There is literally nothing else on earth like it for me to reference. Going by trial and error…" He gestured helplessly with his hands and shot April a quick glance. "I can't do it."

Leonardo gave him a sympathetic look while wrangling Mikey by the mask tails before he could wander off and wreck something.

"Second, I am going to try and get some insight on what their next big move is. I need at least fifteen minutes."

Michelangelo was struggling to get free of Leonardo's grip. "Then that's what you'll get." Leonardo shifted his gaze to April. "You and Casey are not coming on this one. Every time we end up at TCRI it's a narrow escape." She nodded. "We _can_ all go for a little recon of TCRI tonight though, and see how much they've boosted their security. Donnie, we miss you out there. Can you call it a night and join us?"

"Rooftop patrol and pizza after the stake-out?" Michelangelo asked hopefully, prying his mask out of his brothers hand.

"Sure," Leo said.

Donatello smiled and holstered his staff. "How could I refuse an offer like that?"

Back out in the main area the four of them found Raphael, maskless, reading a comic on his bean bag chair. He had a smug smile on his face.

"Patrol!" called Leonardo. "You guys coming?"

"Hell yeah!" answered Raphael, jumping up.

"Uh, guys?" April's strained voice came from somewhere out of sight in the living room. "Can one of you please untie me?"


	9. Chapter 9

The New York night was filled with laughs and whoops of joy as four bat-winged ninja turtles glided along the air currents high above the city. Besides the ShellRaiser, the Turtle Flyers were unanimously the brothers favorite of Donnie's inventions. After so many years locked below the surface there was something absolutely pure and exhilarating about soaring through the air.

"Oh yeah!" Michelangelo shouted. He completed a loop mid-air and zipped by Donatello's glider so closely that it caused him some turbulence.

Donatello righted himself and yelled over at his brother. "Mikey! Are you trying to kill me? You _do_ realize I am carrying explosives, right?"

"Sorry, bro!"

They banked left towards the TCRI building. "Okay guys settle down," Leonardo called. "Time to take out the rooftop sentries."

Their stake-out last night had been fruitful. The Kraang had taken to posting ten to fifteen sentries on the roof at any given time, knowing that if the turtles were going to attack again it would be from above. The interior of the top floor had been repaired from what they could see through the smoked glass windows with binoculars. The Kraang were nothing if not industrious little workers. They also discovered that, like the last time they had come to TCRI to erase the files they had on April, the Kraang themselves were engaged in a period of rest and recharging. It lasted little over an hour from the time they had started watching the building. Donatello suspected they would have a very ordered and strict routine, so on his suggestion they were arriving in time to take advantage of the one hour window.

Donatello brought the pair of binoculars resting atop his head down over his purple mask. As they swooped in closer he scanned the top floor for movement. Besides the eery pink glow that all Kraang technology seemed to be powered with, the floor looked dark and still. He gave Leonardo a thumbs up. _No activity._ Leonardo nodded and led the charge, swooping down swiftly and brutally crushing two droids with his landing. Michelangelo and Raphael followed closely behind. Donatello continued to circle above, waiting for them clear the roof. One well-aimed shot with a blaster and he would be all kinds of dead.

After a brief battle Leonardo waved the sign for all clear. Donatello tightened the circle he'd been lazily gliding and dipped down, landing as softly as possible. His brothers watched with anxious anticipation as they removed their Flyers. Donnie pulled a cooler he had sealed water-tight off the back of his shell. He cracked the seal with a shuriken and pulled out a little metal rack that had been keeping the grenades from jostling against one another in the water. Keeping them submerged was the only safe way to store them.

"I made six of these," Donatello informed them. "They are programmed to cause a small detonation ten seconds after the pin is pulled. The detonation cracks the grenade and releases the contents consisting of incendiary ingredients, namely white phosphorous. Once it detonates, white smoke will disperse all around it and chemical fires should ensue. Anything the phosphorous comes into contact with will melt, including us. Do not use these while we are still inside TCRI. They are to create a diversion and then cause massive damage and confusion as we retreat so we are not pursued." His brothers had never paid such rapt attention to one his speeches.

"Wow, Donnie, you're like an evil genius, bro!" Mikey cried. "I didn't understand half of that but I know it's awesome!"

Donatello sighed. "All you need to know is it's ten seconds to boom, don't be anywhere near them when they go off and you aren't getting one."

"Aw," Michelangelo pouted.

Raphael's green eyes glittered in excitement. "Alright, let's go wreck all their nice stuff," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Oh man, Casey is going to be so pissed he missed out on this."

Leonardo and Michelangelo exchanged glances and snickered.

"What?" Raphael demanded.

"Oh, nothing. I just feel bad that my decision might get you in trouble with your girlfriend," Leonardo joked. Michelangelo laughed out loud while Donatello scowled.

Raphael sputtered. "Excuse me?"

"I don't know, Leo," Mikey said cheekily, elbowing Leonardo. "They looked like they were getting along pretty well last night."

"Don't remind me!" Leonardo groaned. "You two seriously need to get a room. Or stop wrestling. Forever."

"What's wrong with you guys?" Raphael asked angrily. "I'm not going to treat Casey any different just 'cause he's a girl for a while."

"How often did you used to hog-tie him with your bandana?" asked Mikey innocently.

"Ahem," Donatello tried to interject. He was ignored as both Leo and Mikey broke out into fits of laughter.

"I didn't!" Raphael felt a blush creep up his face. "I mean, I don't give empty threats. I warned him not to touch the mask!"

"Guys!" Donnie said a little more sharply over the inappropriate mirth. His irritation was rising exponentially.

"You sure look at him differently," Mikey pushed, automatically jumping back from the fist that flew towards his head.

Raphael was about ready to throttle the two giggling jokers to death. His pulse pounded hotly in his temples. Everything started to fall away around him but his own conflicting emotions and the teasing faces of his brothers. He balled his fists, vision tunneling to Michelangelo again, body screaming at him to take him down. "_Me?_ Don't think I haven't noticed how you two perverts have been looking at her all week!"

"Her?" Mikey teased.

Donatello briefly considered using a grenade to make himself an only child.

"Him! Whatever!" Raph yelled. "It's all the same to me. He's still my friend. You expect me to ignore him like Donnie does to April now?"

_Whack._ Suddenly Raphael's tunnel vision cleared and he felt strangely calm for a second or two. Then he realized Donnie had just rung his bell with a strike to his head. "You did _not_ just do that," Raphael growled.

"I spend most of my time with April. I do not ignore her. How _dare_ you?" Donatello was livid, teeth bared and bo in hand.

"You mean you let her be your lab assistant and training buddy after she called you out for avoiding her. You are completely different around her."

Michelangelo was silent. Leonardo realized too late that their teasing was poorly timed on an astronomical scale. They had an important mission to do and now half of his team was worked up into a frenzy. He hadn't meant for it to go so far. He stepped between Donnie and Raphael. "I'm sorry, Raph. We were just joking. Let's not upset our bomb wielding brother right now and go kick some Kraang."

Raphael's eyes flicked to Leonardo's angrily, then over his shoulder back at Donnie, every muscle strained and tensed.

Donatello took a few deep breaths. "You are lucky I have so much to accomplish tonight."

"_I'm_ lucky?" Raphael snarled, hands going to his sai.

Leonardo desperately tried to undo his mistake. "Raph, focus. Mission to help Casey and April and the whole world? I'm sorry, I was being immature. Donnie, are you alright to go crack the window?" Donatello nodded tersely. "Okay, go ahead."

Donatello gathered a few supplies from the pack attached to his glider, set a grappling hook securely to the side of the building and got into a harness. He attached himself to the line and disappeared over the ledge.

"Raph…" Leonardo started.

He pushed past his brother roughly. "I ain't interested in anything you have to say right now, Fearless."

"That's too bad, I was going to let you help blow the windows to make up for teasing you. I guess I'll just do it alone," Leo said with a shrug.

Raphael stopped mid-stride and turned with a knowing smirk on his face. "I'm in on that action, but I still hate you guys right now, just for the record."

Leonardo looked over his shoulder in annoyance at Michelangelo. He was absorbed in a game on his T-Phone. "Mikey! You are supposed to be spotting Donnie. Get over there."

Michelangelo sighed and wandered over to the ledge where Donatello had gone over and looked down. "You okay, Donnie?"

The Kraang were all floating in a relaxed state facing the large monitor they had used to communicate with Kraang Prime on their last visit. Donatello glanced up at his brother's face peering over the ledge and gave a thumbs up. _Just peachy_, Don thought to himself sourly. His instant defensive rage over Raphael's comment was whittling away into guilt. He scowled and planted his feet against the cool glass, refusing to let himself believe Raph might be right. _Focus. Get the information that might fix this whole mess._

He pressed a large suction cup against the glass at chest level, then hauled back on it sharply to test it. It held. Donatello motioned for Mikey to pass down a rope and a moment later he felt the end of it tickle across his shoulder. He tied his end securely to the suction cup. From his belt he pulled an industrial glass cutter, compliments of Mr O'Neil's credit card. He would have preferred the diamond edged cutter but hadn't wanted to take advantage of Kirby's generosity. This was the next best thing, a serrated carbide wheel. He had altered the handle so it fit his hand perfectly. With four firm and even strokes he scored a small square into the smoked glass. If the cuts were uneven or didn't meet up properly, the window would crack and potentially alert the occupants in the room.

He pushed in sharply, then pulled the heavy square of glass out. He tugged on the rope twice and Michelangelo started pulling the piece up. Donatello took a deep breath, swung into the small entrance he had made for himself, unhooked the harness and landed as silently as possible in the Kraang headquarters. He moved swiftly to the main computer and plugged into it. He glanced at the window, hoping the hole was small enough that the toxic air would leak out too slowly to be noticed. He tried to scroll through their files on the touchscreen but everything looked different than what he was used to.

He tried to keep himself steady to preserve his breath even as he felt cold panic grip him. Nothing looked familiar. They had encrypted all of their files with a different code. His heart sunk. He was going to need more than fifteen minutes.

Back on the roof Leonardo helped Michelangelo pull the plate glass up and over the ledge without breaking or dropping it.

"Alright, Raph, we're up," Leonardo said.

Raphael silently skulked after him, still stewing in anger but keeping it controlled. He was looking forward to this. Leonardo led him over to the other side of the building and they dropped down on their own lines at a direct ninety degree angle from where Donatello had gone. Their feet padded silently down the glass in little bounces, perfectly paralleling one another about ten feet apart. They each held three grenades on their belts, and they each had one attached to a suction cup which they fixed to the glass. The window was the farthest from where Donatello was working, and they could barely spot him from their vantage point.

Leonardo looked over at his brother. "Ready to give Donnie some breathing room?"

"Let's ventilate this place."

They each pulled a pin and raced back up to the roof. "Go, Mikey!" Leonardo yelled, prompting him to drop down Donnie's previous line and start down the glass. "We'll be right behind you!"

Inside Donatello could feel the tension rising among the Kraang. A few of them fidgeted. He held his breath and beads of sweat started to run down the back of his neck. All it would take is one of them to become aware of him and their hive mind would alert the entire fleet. He started releasing the air from his lungs slowly. A high pitched snarl almost made him gasp. He ducked low and under the console as they all began to awake, knowing something was amiss. Then from across the building the sounds of his handiwork sent the Kraang into an all out panic; rending glass, hissing smoke and horrendous crackling. The Kraang whizzed by his vulnerable position crouched by the computers or scrambled to get their breathing apparatus. Fresh earth air dissipated the recreated Kraang atmosphere and Donatello could breathe again.


	10. Chapter 10

One by one the turtles dropped in through the hole that Donatello had scored in the window. The cacophony from the Kraang as they rushed to inspect the damage the grenades had done to the wall of glass was deafening. Sheets of white smoke obscured what had happened, buying Donatello more time. He attacked the touchscreen again and his brothers took up hidden defensive positions.

Donatello tried to clear his mind and find a meaningful pattern in the alien code. If he could figure out which files were the most recent, he had a good chance of downloading the information he was looking for. A stray laser pulse whizzed past his head from behind and broke his resolve for a moment. He ducked, feeling his old wound sting across the back of his wrist in memory of the burn, but there wasn't time for hiding. Taking a deep breath he went back to his work, trusting his brothers to cover him.

The Kraang were desperately trying to figure out who had attacked them. The misdirection worked beautifully for precious minutes, but then one of them spotted Donatello over their computer on the opposite end of the expansive room. The battle call of the enraged little brains seemed to hold a special note of malice reserved only for the turtles. Light and heavy battle droids, fully dressed human-looking businessmen and Kraang in little armed hovercrafts zipped back into their lair to attack Donnie's exposed back.

The turtles had taken up a V formation around Donatello. Michelangelo to his left, Leonardo to his right and Raphael at the point closest to the charge. Raphael sprung up from his hiding place, letting his earlier anger loose. He faced down the dozens of armed aliens with a sneer of pleasure. Raphael threw himself into their midst, blades flashing, sparks flying as metal met metal. All he could see around him were targets that needed to be hit as quickly as possible by whatever means he had. As they flooded over him in a wave of sheer numbers, he wished that he could take them all before his brothers stole some of the fun for themselves.

Inevitably they got past him and he became vaguely aware of Leo and Mikey engaging their own battles behind him. Raphael threw a handful of shuriken into the exposed wiring of a droid, throwing it back in a spray of sparks. His sai were gripped so the point came out between his fingers, making his fists a devastating combination of blade and brute force. His knuckles frayed and bled against twisted metal despite his hand wrappings. He jumped to kick a small hovercraft viciously enough that it removed the head from one of the businessman robots in it's trajectory. He stayed in perpetual motion, every movement meaningful and aimed to do as much damage as possible.

The Kraang eased their assault, many having been defeated or fled to safer quarters. A wall slid aside with a hiss and two giant, blue gorilla-like robots emerged.

"Donnie your time is almost up," called Leonardo. "Watch your back. They're bringing out the big guns." The biotroids stepped out with thundering footsteps. "Lead them to the gap," Leo said, jumping forward, gesturing to the missing window.

Raphael and Michelangelo followed his lead. They hopped around and pestered the biotroids and slowly led them away from Donnie and closer to the possibility of a 30 storey drop. The hulking robots were faster than they looked. The turtles tried to attack their heads and disrupt the connection between robot and Kraang but the serrated saws that swung out from their chests on long cables threatened to deshell them.

"Nipple saws and butt cannons?" Michelangelo joked as he dodged a blast. "Who designed these things?"

Wind blew in through the wrecked window. The smoke had cleared. They managed to get one biotroid close enough to the edge that its blue fur rippled in waves. The other looked back over at Donatello tampering with their computers and charged.

"I'm on it!" yelled Raphael, hoping the other two could topple their monster over the edge soon.

Raphael caught up with the biotroid and lodged a sai into it's knee. A metal joint popped out of place and the robot slowed and walked unsteadily. Screaming it's irritation, the Kraang controlling it made a grab for Raphael. He dodged to the right, luring it away from Donatello. It made another swipe for him and he wasn't fast enough to get out of the way. A hand bigger than he was connected to Raph's left side and slapped him roughly into a wall like a bug. By the time he recovered his feet it was right on top of him again. He went for the robot's other knee and managed to break something in that one too, but left himself vulnerable to do so.

The biotroid picked him up and threw him in earnest. He collided with bone rattling force into a set of elevator doors, denting them. It started towards him again, it's knees buckled in and shuffling irregularly. Sitting numbly on the floor, the copper taste of blood in his mouth, Raphael worked a sai into the dent. As the large blue droid swayed unsteadily to grab him again, he pried the elevator doors open, grabbed the arm reaching for him and hauled forward with all of his strength. The creatures own momentum further propelled it and it toppled down the elevator shaft, dragging Raphael in with it.

Raphael flailed wildly in the darkness to find the cables. When his hand finally brushed one he held on for all his was worth, sliding down a bit more until he got a proper grip. The biotroid scrambled to find purchase as well, one hand dragging down Raphael's shell and pulling. The muscles in his arms and shoulders felt like they were going to snap and he slammed his eyes closed, gritted his teeth and focused on just hanging on. The weight fell off of him. His sigh of relief was cut short by the worst sound he had ever heard. _Clink clink_. He didn't have to check to know that the grenades had gone down the shaft, pulled free of his belt by the clamoring robot. He raced up the cable, injuries forgotten, images of his melted shell in his mind if he didn't move it fast enough.

He heard the crash as he hauled himself back onto the top floor. He heard the rumble of the explosion traveling impossibly fast up the shaft. He sprinted out of the alcove. "Donnie, we're done. Now! Disconnect!"

Donatello took one look at Raphael's terrified face and knew exactly what was happening. He disconnected and joined the sprint. Thick, white plumes of smoke and flame reached for them.

Leonardo and Michelangelo had downed their biotroid but it was still trying to get up off the floor.

"We're done," panted Raphael as he and Donnie caught up with them.

All four brothers stood together on the ledge of the blown out window and shot their grappling guns up for purchase. Leonardo pulled a grenade from his belt.

"Hit their computers," urged Donnie.

"There's too much smoke. I can barely see in there," Leo answered. They were out of the danger range of the ones Raphael had obviously dropped somehow, but the interior of the office was obscured by white smoke.

"Leo! Give it to me! I can do it," begged Michelangelo.

At that moment, leaning precariously over the ledge of a building by a rope with only his toes on the ruined floor, Leonardo realized that if there was anyone that could lob a small hand-held weapon with pinpoint accuracy, it was Mikey. He wordlessly passed it over. Michelangelo pulled the pin and cranked his water balloon throwing arm and focused on the pink glow in the white smoke. He fired it in and cheered as it hit it's mark.

"And this one's for you," Leonardo told the Kraang in the furry blue battle droid as it struggled towards them. Their last grenade landed right in front of the biotroid's face.

All four of them pulled up to the roof and got their gliders back on, taking to the air immediately. No one followed them.

**oooooooooooo**

"I can't believe the guys benched us tonight," Casey griped. He was sprawled along the couch, feet on the coffee table and paging through a textbook in agitation. Kirby had started picking up his homework as well, much to his dismay.

April shuddered. "I can. Trust me, you don't want to be me and at TCRI. I was stubborn and went along last time and they almost put a drill through my head. If I never see the inside of that place again it will be too soon."

Casey looked at himself, sitting on a recliner with a pink laptop set on crossed legs. There was just no getting used to the strangeness of it. "Didn't you end up saving everyone with a huge psychic blast or something? You need to teach me how to do that."

"Ugh, it's not something you want to do. I had a splitting migraine for a week after."

"Yeah, the migraines are bad enough after the little ones. So how's that fantastic bod of mine treating you so far?" he asked.

"Besides the ten 'cold showers' a day I seem to need, usually at the most inopportune times and no where near an actual shower? Aside from_ that_ awkwardness, it's not too bad."

Casey snorted. "Fair warning, that situation just gets worse the longer you ignore…_it_."

"I really hope you aren't suggesting what I think you are," she said, eyes narrowing.

He shrugged. "Part of life."

"I try to deal with everything below your belt as little as possible, thank you very much." Casey pretended to read a page in his textbook silently. "Wait a minute, you didn't…"

"Of course not." He kept a straight face for about ten seconds.

"Aw, come on, Casey! I'm going to have to shower for days to feel clean in that body again." She chucked a throw pillow at his head in disgust, but when he tossed it back at her they both started laughing. "So other than that…'cause I really don't want to know, you seem to be happier."

"The first couple of days were rough, but I'm an easy-going kind of guy. Once I got used to it and got my vigilante on, I was fine. Don't tell the guys but…I kinda like being a girl."

April laughed. "I never thought you would be man enough to admit it. You won't be saying you like it much longer though." He looked at her quizzically. "Oh, you'll see. Hey, Casey? Since we are on a _touchy_ subject anyways…"

They both giggled. "What?" he asked.

"I find it kind of strange that I am still attracted to men. Like I expected it in my head, but your body responds too."

Casey put his hands up. "I don't need to know! It's still your mind calling the shots, so it shouldn't be a shock."

"I guess, but even girls I find attractive…the body doesn't react. Not that I'm complaining. It's 'reactive' enough as it is." Casey went pale even for April's skin-tone. "Casey, your horrible pick-up lines and constantly pestering girls for dates…it's all a show isn't it?"

"No!" The blush of embarrassment reddened Casey's face and chest.

"It's okay. Did you think you needed to hide it from us? From your friends?" She paused as Casey clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. "From your dad?"

He snapped up from the couch and threw the textbook down on the coffee table with a heavy slap. "It's late, I'm going to bed."

Casey left with about as much dignity as he could muster and closed himself off in the guestroom. April's pale blushing skin was like a lie detector. Her hormones made the emotions he was trying to suppress wash around his brain like a tidal wave. Her chest felt too small to contain the thudding, panicking heart. This body that wasn't his. That betrayed him. That made him weak. That allowed Raphael to look at him differently.

He cupped his face into his hand and tried to calm down. It figured he would be having one of the worst nights of his life while the turtles were out having the time of theirs tearing up TCRI.

**ooooooooo**

As eager as Donatello was to start decoding whatever information he had managed to download, he tended his battered brothers first. Raphael looked the worst for wear, but after an injection for pain he waved Donnie off to look after the others. He checked Michelangelo and Leonardo thoroughly and treated their minor wounds. By the time he got back around to Raphael his eyes were heavy. The painkillers had done their work and he just wanted to go to bed.

Donatello looked over his left arm, which was one giant bruise from shoulder to elbow. He felt along the bone for signs of a break. "I don't think it's broken, but if the pain or swelling gets worse let me know."

"'Kay," he rumbled quietly.

"I'm going to clean these other abrasions you have and…"

"No. Just want to sleep."

Donatello sighed. "That was crazy, taking the biotroid on by yourself. You are lucky to be alive."

Raphael shrugged. "Mike and Leo were busy. It was going straight for you…" He struggled to look Donnie in the eye. "I'm sorry. About what I said on the roof. I was just mad and blurting shit out." He could barely sit up anymore and was sliding off to the side slowly.

"I'm sorry I hit you," Donatello said, helping Raphael to his feet and leading him to his room.

Raphael chuckled and followed along, leaning on him heavily. "I'm not. That was some balls right there, brother. I woulda been proud of you if I wasn't so pissed."

Donatello smiled. "Sleep in. No training tomorrow."

Raphael threw himself down on his bed plastron first and closed his eyes. He heard Donnie shut the door and everything went black. There in the dark, tired, drugged and beaten, Raphael let himself wish he wasn't alone.


	11. Chapter 11

When April breezed downstairs after over-sleeping she hadn't expected to see Casey awake already. He usually slept until noon. He framed the very picture of misery. He wore track pants and a loose flashdance type shirt over a tank top. His eyes were dark and puffy and he slowly swirled cereal around in a bowl at the dining room table. She felt bad for questioning Casey the night before, but she'd had no idea how hard admitting the truth even to himself would be on him.

She cleared her throat and he met her gaze. "You're up early," she said cheerfully. "Want to head out with me?"

"Didn't sleep very well," he grumbled with an accusing look.

April sighed. "Casey, look, I'm sorry. It was just obvious the longer I was in here," she said, gesturing down at his body.

Casey slowly got up and pulled his tangled mess of red locks into a sloppy bun. "Whatever. Sure, let's go." He looked up at her nervously as he joined her. "Can you…not tell anyone? Please?"

"What, that you're gay?" He recoiled from her like she had slapped him. "I won't," she said quickly. "I understand."

He scowled. "What would you understand about it?"

"I'm pretty sure I've been convincing myself that I have_n't_ had a crush on a giant mutant turtle for almost a year. Now that is something I truly couldn't tell anyone for fear of what might happen. To both of us. I don't even know how my dad would react and he's taken a lot of strange things into stride."

"At least you know Don wouldn't try and say, I dunno…_kill _you for even being interested," Casey sighed unhappily.

"I know lots of people who would kill me for being part Kraang. Or worse. I know it's scary being different."

He softened a little. "You _are_ pretty weird, Red."

She laughed and swatted his shoulder. "Come on, Jones, I'm already late." She swung her gym bag over her shoulder. "And Casey? I don't think Raph would ever harm you."

They picked up a brisk jog and didn't slow, letting the cool morning air energize them. April burst over the turnstiles with Casey on her heels, readying a string of apologies for Master Splinter. She stopped in her tracks when she realized Splinter and three of his sons seemed to be enjoying a relaxing morning. The turtles all looked a little rough around the edges but greeted her happily. She joined the group in concern, looking over Donatello, Leonardo and Michelangelo for signs of serious injuries.

"Aw, Mikey," she said affectionately, brushing a hand over his head. He had a cut just above the right side of his mask with a few stitches.

Michelangelo gave her a wide smile that reached his tired baby blue eyes. "It's cool, chicks dig scars right? And Leo let me throw a grenade! It was so awesome!"

She laughed. Everyone looked battle weary but had only minor cuts and bruises.

"Where's Raphael?" Casey asked just as April had been about to, his voice edged with alarm.

"Showering off dried blood and Kraang guts," Leonardo said, rolling his eyes. "How he could sleep like that is beyond me. Ugh."

"The painkillers I gave him last night pretty much knocked him flat," Donatello pointed out.

"So he's okay?" Casey asked, relaxing a bit.

"He's fine," Raphael answered, entering the main area. His hands and forearms were covered in cuts and scratches and the massive bruise that was the upper half of his left arm had bloomed into a deep black-purple.

"Christ, Raph, you look like shit," Casey said, eyes widening.

"You ain't looking too hot yourself today, Case. I thought _I_ had a rough night," he joked. Casey snickered.

"I guess training was canceled for today?" April said, plopping down on the couch between Donatello and Michelangelo.

"It was for my sons, as they need rest after their battle at TCRI," said Splinter. "As for you, you are late. Let us start with fifty push-ups to remind you to get up earlier tomorrow shall we?"

April shot back up off the couch. "Oh! Hai, Sensei." She followed behind him meekly as the turtles teased her. An entire session in private with Splinter? She was going to be sore when this was over.

**ooooooo**

After an intense two hours with Sensei and a quick shower, April wandered to the entrance of the common area and counted the back of three bald green heads and one ginger. They were engaged in a four player video game and having a grand time. Of course it was Donatello who was missing from the free-spirited fun. She slipped into his lab and took a seat on the empty office chair beside him. He was going over blueprints at his desk. He met her curious gaze and smiled, making her heart flutter.

"Did you get what you needed from TCRI?" she asked hopefully.

"I have no idea what I downloaded yet. It could be anything. They rewrote their encryption. The program I created to decode the old Kraang files is working on it, but it could take hours. Days even, depending on how complicated it is. The only good thing is that I don't really need to pay much attention to it while it works, so I am planning on starting up this guy." He tipped the blueprints over to her.

"The giant Mecha-Turtle?"

"Don't name it or you'll never hear the end of it from Mikey."

She laughed. "Where are you going to build this monster anyway?"

"There's this great space just down one of the smaller tunnels. I think it was used as a storage or repair area for old subway cars. I built the ShellRaiser there. I need help organizing all the scrap. You up for it or did Splinter kill you?"

"I'll do whatever I can," she said, unconsciously stretching out her sore muscles.

As they left, Donatello called over to the group of gamers. "We're going to work in the garage."

"Don't go to the surface," warned Leonardo. "The Kraang are going to be hunting for us. We have to lay low as long as possible."

"Wasn't planning it, don't worry," he replied over the groans of the others. They left in time to miss most of Michelangelo and Raphael's whining.

Donatello led her into the darkened tunnels. The old, broken tracks made for treacherous footing and April stumbled into his shell.

"Sorry, April, I should have brought you a flashlight. I'm just so used to it." He found her hand and took hold of it. In the dark he could almost make himself believe it was really her behind him. Casey's hand was still much smaller and softer than his. When she let out a sharp breath at the contact and squeezed his hand back gently, butterflies started to dance in his belly.

When they reached their destination and Donatello loosened his hold on her hand, April couldn't let go for a moment. There had been a fragile connection there, a familiar tension in his demeanor that she had been craving. How had she never realized how much she needed him before? How many times had she made him feel like this without ever knowing? She wanted to tell him how she felt but her emotions were so undefined and tumultuous that she had trouble putting them into words.

"Donnie…" she started, voice unsteady.

He freed his hand from hers and put it on her shoulder. "Stay here. I'm going to hit the lights."

Just like that he was gone and the moment had passed. Lights came on and illuminated a large space that looked like Donatello's personal scrapyard. "Holy crap," she said appreciatively. "How did you guys get all this stuff?"

"We usually scavenge for scrap whenever we have a quiet night. I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to organize anything. I also need this whole area cleared out for a workspace," he said, gesturing to a wide range of clutter.

April whistled.

"Just let me know when you get tired," he said. "I don't expect to get it all done today. Don't lift any of the really heavy stuff."

They set to work with minimal conversation, besides where Donatello wanted things placed and what he needed grouped together; engines, motors, pipes, wiring, metal, electronics. April had soon worked up a sweat again but she persevered as long as she could. Her back and arms protested the abuse of training followed by manual labor and after a couple of hours she was ready to throw in the towel.

She turned to Donatello as he somehow lifted a large engine, grunting with the effort of it, biceps bulging in a most distracting way. Sweat glistened over his skin in the harsh light. She wanted nothing more than to let her hands glide along his tight shoulders. The straining tendons of his neck looked absolutely kissable. He set the engine down in it's proper pile. As he bent she followed the curve of calf and thigh to where it disappeared into his shell.

She had been aware that she was attracted to Donatello for some time. As a girl, lust for her had been something that built slowly, nurtured over time by small gestures of affection. As a guy, lust was an immediate reaction to her attraction. It couldn't be denied. She had already known she loved Donatello as a best friend. It took being in the hormonal body of Casey Jones to finally admit that she thought he was damned sexy too.

"The air conditioner can go in the back corner," Donatello said, making her jump.

She hadn't even realized she was holding an air conditioner as she stared at him hungrily. April turned away sharply to hide her blush. She set the unit in the corner and leaned over it, closing her eyes and trying to will the familiar, incessant tightness in her jeans to go away. _Being a guy sucks._

"Are you okay?"

He was right behind her. She let out a long breath. "I think I am done for the day."

"We got a lot more accomplished than I was expecting. Thank you for helping me out, my brothers really needed the rest today."

He smiled warmly, that adorable little Donnie smile. April stayed silent and hoped he couldn't hear her heart thudding as he held her hand all the way back to the lair.

**ooooooo**

Later that night Casey and April lounged around her living room doing homework and watching TV.

"It sucks that the guys can't go to the surface for a while," Casey complained. "I'm so bored I'm actually doing this crap. Look, I wrote a whole essay."

April snickered and nudged him with her foot playfully. "You are going to be a scholar soon at this rate."

"Hah, I'll sign up for a women's hockey league before that happens."

"There's a league you could go pro in," she joked. April yawned and rubbed her eyes. "I can't look at this laptop screen any more tonight. I'm so tired, I just want to veg."

Casey looked over and smirked. "I don't know, Red, you look pretty relaxed to me."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "I've started taking hot showers again."

He laughed out loud sharply. "Can't believe you held out this long. Congrats, you're officially a man."

"Hm, that reminds me. You are due to officially become a woman in a couple of days." She rifled through her backpack and found a little box, then tossed it at him.

He caught it one handed and read the label. "Tampons?" He looked at her with growing horror. "Oh no, come on. I can't do this. Donnie's close to switching us back right?"

"Not even a little bit. So let me tell you all about your new Aunt Flow."


	12. Chapter 12

Raphael let out a loud, exaggerated yawn and leaned his head back on the couch, staring at the ceiling. This was their third night of what felt like incarceration underground, strictly enforced by both Sensei and Leonardo. _Lousy NARC brother, _Raph griped silently to himself. The nights entertainment was a Lord of the Rings marathon and the whole gang was there. Leonardo was watching raptly as some pretty elf showed off his CGI archery prowess and next to him Michelangelo hogged a huge bowl of popcorn to himself, chewing loudly. Even Donatello was there, having had a long day of warping and welding metal. April was curled in beside him on the couch, her back leaned casually along his arm. _Do they ever do anything that_ isn't _nerdy together?_

When Raphael's eyes found Casey, he realized his friend had been watching him scan the room restlessly. Casey grinned and nodded his head towards the entrance of the lair, winking, then stood up and stretched, catching a bit of attention from the others.

"I'm gonna head out. See you in the morning, April. Later guys." After some mumbled good-byes and a promise to stay in the tunnels as long as possible, Jones was gone.

"I think I'm going to hit the sack too, get an early start on all that nothing we're doing tomorrow," Raphael said dryly.

"You too?" asked Michelangelo, eyes wide. "But we're only halfway through the first movie!"

"And already I can't listen to any more hobbits whining." He left to a chorus of groans and a few kernels of thrown popcorn.

He clunked his door shut noisily and put his sais in his belt. He waited for ten minutes and then crept slowly and silently back toward the dark living room. It was too easy. Everyone was watching the movie and the television provided the only light so he had plenty of shadows to move in. When he reached the tracks he looked around for Casey. Nothing. He lightly tapped a sai against the metal. A flashlight beam flickered ahead. He was in the garage where they'd all been helping Donatello lug heavy scrap around the day before.

Silently they met up and headed for the nearest manhole. Voices really carried down the tunnels and neither of them wanted to mess up the chance of some freedom. When they got up into the alley Raphael smiled broadly and took a big breath of semi-fresh city air.

"I thought I was going to die of boredom, you're a genius Casey!"

"I know," he said, bowing.

"Wait, did you change in Donatello's garage?" Raphael asked.

Casey pulled his mask down and started to climb to a roof, leading the charge. "Yeah, I hid my hockey bag in there yesterday. I had this whole escape plan for us tonight but it turns out I didn't really need it."

"Yesterday? You sneaky bastard."

"Guess I got some ninja skills after all. Oh and seriously, you guys might want to stop letting Don go to the military junkyard on his own. He has some scary shit in there."

Raphael snorted. "Where are we going, anyways? The Kraang are super pissed at us. We can't really patrol."

"Over there." Casey pointed to a lit up area where the thrum of music and people drifted over to them. "It's a street festival. Art and music or something. Live bands and the road is closed off for vendors and galleries and stuff."

Raphael stopped. "I can't go to a street festival, what are you thinking?"

"Genius remember?" he answered, tapping the top of his mask. "There are so many people and things going on, no one will be paying attention up here. The crowds and commotion will keep the Kraang away."

Raphael felt conflicted but the thought of sneaking back into the lair and going to bed for real drove him forward again. He sprinted and jumped with that feeling of elation and relief at having gotten away with something he knew was forbidden. For once he headed for the major hustle and bustle, the live music getting louder. Once they arrived to the actual street closures and got a good look at the party Raphael became nervous again. He ducked into a thin shadow on a bare roof, eyes white. There were people out on balconies and rooftop patios looking on below. Some threw beads and trinkets down into the crowd. The smell of food and drink and people invaded him and he crouched lower, feeling exposed.

"This was a bad idea," Raphael growled.

Casey frowned. He had really wanted Raph to have fun, not freak out and inevitably get mad at him. He tried to think how he could turn it around again, then remembered a perfect spot. "Come back down to street level," Casey urged.

They darted quickly between alleys and buildings, unseen by the throngs of people the next street over. Casey clambered up two storeys of fire escape to the top of an antique shop, long since closed for the day. The owner had a small garden up there, including a tall section of lattice overflowing with vines as a backdrop. A small white wrought iron patio table and two chairs gave them a place to sit.

Raphael would have preferred something higher up, but as he inspected his surroundings he found it acceptable. They were half a block behind the make-shift stage and the section of road below was among the area that was blockaded from cars. The street was dark and empty save for a few roadies and people working the lights and sound. The large metal grid that loomed over the stage had mounted lights which shone towards the crowd and would keep them obscured in darkness. The rest of the neighboring buildings were businesses that were closed for the night.

He finally breathed easy. "Okay, Casey, I gotta admit, this is pretty cool."

"Finally! I thought you were going to wuss out on me there."

"Yeah well a lifetime of don't trust anyone, don't be seen, stay in the shadows…it kinda sticks with you," Raphael said. He rubbed his sore shoulder absently. He had sprained both but the bruised side bothered him more persistently.

"Every time I see that bruise it gets uglier," Casey joked. Raphael flicked him in the forehead. "Hey!" Casey laughed, swatting his hand away. "Stay here, I'm going to try and get us some food."

Casey disappeared over the side of the building before Raphael could respond. He listened to the upbeat music pouring from the stage and relaxed. This was as close to the crush of the crowd as he would ever get or ever want to be.

"Raph!" Casey called from the fire escape. "Come take this tray so I can climb up."

Raphael poked his head over the side and looked into a tray full of white cups. He sniffed. "Is that…beer?"

"Take it already it's getting heavy," Casey huffed, holding it over his head, arms fully extended. He felt a tug and let go, then scrambled up the rest of the way to the roof.

"You were supposed to get food. This stuff smells horrible," Raphael said, scrunching up his face. He set the tray on the patio table.

"The guy at the beer tent thought I was a roadie for the rock band," he snickered. "They paint their faces like skulls or something as a gimmick. Performers drink free. I said the whole crew wanted one."

Raphael chuckled and shook his head. "You kept your mask on?"

"April said not to let anyone see her face," he shrugged.

They each took a flimsy plastic cup and tried a sip of the cold golden liquid. "Oh man, this is awful!" Casey sputtered.

"Agreed!" The bitter aftertaste was worse. Raphael took another gulp, alleviating it. Casey was trying to be a trooper and finish his, not wanting to be shown up by a turtle.

"It kind of kills your sense of taste a little after each sip," Casey giggled. He downed the rest of the cup. "By the time you get to the end it's not half bad."

Raphael picked up another and held it out. "Not half good either. Cheers."

"Cheers!" Their second they chugged back like nothing.

"So what happened to _you_ the other night?" Raphael asked, referring to the night they had raided TCRI.

Casey paused, looking down and grabbing another beer nervously, not wanting to admit why he had been upset all night. "Sometimes the weird just hits me harder than usual. That night was one of them," he said carefully. His eyes flickered up to Raphael's bruised arm. "I wish I had been there to back you up."

Raph shook his head. "No, Leo was right. The Kraang would have been all over you in a second. You should have seen April last time." He shuddered and took a drink. "They had me too, I couldn't get to her. There were so many of them, holding me down. All I could think was that I was about to see April's head get drilled into because I wasn't strong enough."

Casey looked sombre and silence stretched between them briefly.

Raphael cleared his throat and smiled. "I think Donnie still fantasizes about the army of April clones."

Casey spit his beer in a spray and started laughing. He collapsed into one of the white chairs, gasping for breath. "April said they were gross and exploded into black goo."

"Hah, no. They weren't gross until you destroyed them. Intact they looked exactly like her, and they were all grabbing at us and saying they were the real April."

"Are you sure he doesn't have a couple stashed in his lab somewhere?" Casey joked.

Raphael considered with a horrified expression on his face for a beat and then they both started howling.

Casey finished his third beer and blinked heavily at Raphael. "Man, April is a lightweight."

"Good, more for me," Raph said, finishing his. There had been a dozen cups on the tray and they were already halfway through.

Raphael tried to sit on the other wrought iron patio chair across from Casey but it was too small accommodate his shell and he slid off and onto the ground in a heap. They both giggled as he got back up and turned the chair around, straddling it so he could lean against the back and his shell could have as much space as it needed. It struck Raphael that he never laughed this much with his brothers, even Mikey. Hell, he probably would have been angry at them for laughing at his blunder. He watched Casey chug another beer and offer up an earth-shattering belch.

"Real sexy, Case," Raphael chuckled. "You should try to impress April with that one. Panties will drop."

"She's pretty good-lookin' right now too, don't you think?"

"Yeah sure, Casey Jones, preppy edition. Hair in that neat little pony-tail, matching outfits that are actually clean and not wrinkled, smells like soap instead of a sock drawer," he teased.

"I know right? Watching her do homework on her pink laptop is actually painful."

"Oh, and the tessen!" Raphael laughed. "It would be hilarious watching her wield it in your body if she wasn't getting so damned good with it. Nearly cut me the other day."

Casey scoffed. "April almost got you? For real?"

"Splinter teams her up with Donnie whenever he lets her spar. They are actually a really good team."

"Two on two, we would wreck them," Casey said confidently.

"You know it," Raphael grinned, fist-bumping him. He crushed another beer effortlessly. He was starting to feel a bit of a pleasant buzz and the constant dull pain in his shoulders seemed far away. "So you still gonna try and date her when you get switched back?"

"Hell no. We're like the TMI twins now," Casey said, wrinkling his nose.

"The hell is TMI?" Raphael asked.

"Too much information. We know everything about each other, we're too close. Would be like you asking out your brother."

"Ugh!"

"Exactly! There's only one beer left you want me to go get more?" Casey asked.

"Can you make it up and down the fire escape without killing yourself?"

"I think so?" He managed to walk a mostly straight line to the ledge.

"Casey, your mask!" Raphael brought it over and joined Casey as he went down the ladder, just in case. Casey left Raphael in the alley and disappeared around the corner. The minutes passed and Raphael started to get anxious. When the familiar skull mask finally started back towards him in the dark he was flooded with angry relief.

"What took you so long?" he hissed.

"Sorry, I had to find a restaurant to go to the bathroom, and all the women's bathrooms have lines. I can't really pee in the alley anymore. Oh, and I think the beer tent guy is getting suspicious, he only let me have five this time, one for each band member." Casey looked up at the black iron ladders and platforms. "I'm gonna need help this time."

"I'll just do it." Raphael took the bar tray and climbed up to the roof one handed. He went back for Casey, who was shakily trying to get a foot up on the railing of the top platform to leverage himself over the edge. "Wait," Raph said, joining him.

Raphael offered a hand for him to step into and boosted him up. Casey clambered onto the ledge, almost made it over, then slipped back with a yelp butt first into Raphael's outstretched hands. Raphael heaved up again in a panic and Casey made it over. That round little bottom cupped into his hands made his heart flat line for a moment and a wave of heat crashed over him. He had trouble breathing and wondered if Casey had accidentally kicked him in the throat on his way over. Every conflicting emotion Raphael had been carefully locking down over girl Casey slipped through his now murky mind without inhibition. They crashed down and culminated into one giant red flag in his brain that he was completely smitten. _Well, shit,_ he thought, dragging himself over the edge as if it was a lifeboat and he was drowning.

Casey looked over his shoulder and smirked. "Looks like you literally saved my ass," he giggled, swaying slightly back to his chair.

Raphael watched him walk away and stood there dumbly. All he could think about was grabbing that ass. Why did he have to wear those short shorts all the time? He silently took his place across from Casey and they each chugged another beer. _I have a crush on my best friend._ The thought made him dizzy. Casey let him drink the rest of the alcohol as he talked and joked and rambled, words slurring here and there. April really was a lightweight. Casey had only had maybe five, and Raphael was fairly certain he was going on a dozen by the end. The fog settled nicely over his mind and heart.

Raphael looked up from the stacks of empty plastic cups and Casey was gone from the chair. The rock band they had been drinking for was playing their set and were actually really good. The tempo was fast and perfect to dance to, which was exactly what Casey was doing. He watched in unabashed wonder as Casey danced, body undulating gracefully to the beat. Now and then he would loose his balance a little, catch himself and find his rhythm again.

"Dance with me! I know you have the moves," Casey laughed.

"I don't even know if I can walk right now," Raph admitted. Casey stumbled a little and pitched towards the edge of the roof, landing close to the ledge. Raphael instantly went to help him up and pull him back into the middle where it was safe.

"You're dancing!" Casey exclaimed with a grin.

"No, I'm keeping you from falling off." He was just walking backwards, right? Maybe he was swaying a little but that's because he was drunk, certainly _not_ because he was dancing.

Casey had popped the wheels down on his boots and was gliding along wherever Raphael pulled him. "Spin me!"

It _was_ a fun song and they _were_ already there together, so he figured, why not? He spun Casey out and back into his arms. He flowed smoothly and quickly on his skates and gave a high-pitched whoop of excitement. He looked so happy that it was impossible not to give in to the mirth of the moment. They danced together clumsily, laughing as Raphael tried to lead Casey around in any kind of rhythm. Their upbeat song had turned into a slow rock ballad at some point, and Raphael stopped sharply, wondering when that had happened. The abrupt stop to his movement made Casey bump into him and loose his balance, wheels flying out from under him.

"Whoa, don't drink and drive," Raphael laughed. He pulled Casey back up flush against him, hands supporting his back in case he hadn't recovered his feet properly.

Casey looked up at Raphael smiling, enjoying how content the usually stoic and sarcastic turtle was. Raphael met his gaze with those irresistible green eyes and there was real affection there. Brave from drink and the rush of adrenaline from dancing around like a fool, Casey wrapped his arms around Raphael's neck and stole a quick kiss. The dizzy heat tumbled from his lips all the way down to his toes. He had wondered if Raphael's mouth would feel hard or strange, but it was large and soft and inviting.

Raphael froze in shock and held Casey out from him slightly. No one had ever kissed him before, and he assumed no one would ever want to. The slight contact of their mouths together instantly softened everything hard and rough within him. His mind swam and his heart swelled and thudded painfully. He looked down into Casey's blue eyes and found equally his fear of rejection and hunger for more. All this time Raphael had assumed that his feelings were wrong but as he pulled Casey back into him all his body and mind did was scream in encouragement. Gently his mouth found plush pink lips. He explored the sensation carefully. Every small movement sent sparks of pleasure through him. His chest felt light and buoyant, like he might float away.

When Casey grabbed the back of his head and pulled him in tighter and harder he thought he might faint. Raphael's hand automatically pressed into his back, then started to slide down to that curved bum. He squeezed gently and Casey moaned. The smell and taste of beer hung between them but neither of them cared. When they came back up for air they realized the music had stopped. The concert was over and the festival was winding down.

"We need to go back," Raphael grumbled unhappily.


	13. Chapter 13

After the second movie in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, everyone was restless and tired. Knowing that Splinter would expect them up early the next morning, they turned in while a decent nights sleep could still be had. Michelangelo jumped at the chance to walk April home, mostly underground where they were safe. He had been shushed during the movies so many times that he was bursting at the seams to chat all about his favorite fight sequences and creatures. April was sure Leonardo and Donatello had already heard_ that_ excited tirade a few times, and was happy to lend Mikey a fresh ear. Really, it made the time pass quickly and by the time she had to part ways with him they were laughing over some of the fight scenes that would be physically impossible.

April jogged the short way home from where she had left Michelangelo below, cutting across lawns and driveways to minimize her time in the open. She entered her house, expecting to find Casey glued to the television. Instead everything was dark. She yawned and dodged the furniture easily on her way to the stairs, eyes already accustomed from the dreary tunnels.

She stopped mid-step on the staircase when she heard a loud thump, followed by voices. She had assumed Casey was asleep, and her dad was away for two nights on a business trip. Brow crinkled in confusion, April made her way to Casey's room. She opened the door nervously when she heard masculine laughter, preparing for a possible attack. Casey was sprawled across his bed and jumped when she opened the door. On the floor facing her sat Raphael, legs straight out in front of him, shell and head leaned against the side of the mattress. His green eyes shone up at her before blinking slowly.

"Raph? What are you doing here?" April hissed.

"Casey? No no, April." He squinted at her and Casey giggled behind him. "This is gettin' too confusing, can I jus' start calling you both Capril?"

April's eyes narrowed and she entered the lamp lit room to inspect Raphael closely. "Are you…drunk?" she asked disbelievingly.

"No," he denied, then belched a cloud of beer stink into her face.

She backed off, waving her hand in front of her nose with a disgusted noise. "Raph!"

"Okay, maybe a little bit," he admitted.

Casey was having a hard time keeping a straight face and desperately trying to stop laughing.

"Are you two insane?" April admonished. "Where have you even been all night that you were drinking?"

"The festival," Casey answered. "Chill out, Red. Too many people for Kraangs."

"I'm really tired," Raphael complained, slumping down a bit.

April pinched between her eyes and tried not to yell. "Did anyone see Raphael?"

"No, we didn't go into the crowd. Well, I did, but I wore the mask so no one saw you."

"You guys are _un_believable." She sighed and tried to get her thoughts together.

Raphael thudded down plastron first onto the plush area rug beside the bed, completely limp. Casey checked on him from his perch and went into hysterics, pointing. "Raph, you've got a tail!"

"Everybody's got a tail, stupid," he mumbled into his forearm. He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore and shifted to get more comfortable on the soft carpet.

"Humans don't have tails," Casey snorted.

"Fine, everybody else gots a tail."

"I don't believe this," groaned April. "Raph, come on get up. You need to get back to the lair or Splinter is going to kill both of you." His only response was a rumbling growl. "Seriously, get up!" She grabbed hold of the back of his shell and pulled. She couldn't budge him. Casey settled into his blanket and finally calmed his giggles. She threw her hands up in frustration when Raphael started to snore. "Forget it! You idiots better get a good sleep tonight. I'll be waking you up bright and early."

She changed into her pajamas and slunk into her bed angrily. If the Kraang or the Foot had happened to come across them, drunk and defenseless, they would have been killed. Loosing Raphael and Casey would be devastating to the Hamato clan and for her. Thankfully they were both intact and safe. This time. She blew out a long breath and considered what she should do, then reached for her T-Phone on the nightstand and called Leonardo.

"Hello?" His voice was thick and bewildered.

"Hey, it's April. You awake?"

"No." A pause and a shuffling noise. "Are you okay? What's going on?" He was starting to sound more coherent.

"So, don't freak out, but Raphael is here."

"What?!"

She winced and held the phone away from her ear for a minute. "He snuck out after Casey. They were just here at the house, everything is okay. Guess Raph needed a change of scenery." She didn't like lying to Leonardo but she could already feel his anger emanating silently through the phone. She cleared her throat, wondering how much damage control she could do. "There's more."

Leonardo sighed. "Of course there's more. It's Raph and Casey."

"They, uh, raided the fridge for leftovers that really should have been tossed out a few days ago, and they both have food poisoning. I don't know if he'll make it in for training in the morning. He's pretty sick."

"Uh huh." Leo sounded suspicious. "Do you know what kind of stuff we ate before you started shopping for us?"

April laughed nervously. "Well, obviously not my dad's rotten leftover meatloaf." She rested her forehead in her palm. She was sure Leonardo was going to call her out, but he was too tired and let it go. "I don't know when we'll be there tomorrow," she added, already dreading the morning.

"I'll let Sensei know."

"Goodnight, Leo. Sorry for waking you. I just didn't want anyone to realize he was gone first thing in the morning and panic."

"It's okay, thank you. Night."

**ooooooo**

"Rise and shine," April called out cheerfully into the bedroom the following morning. She opened a window and let the sunlight flood the room.

"Ah!" Casey got the brunt of the stark assault and tried to hide under his blanket. He groped around for it and realized that sometime during the night Raphael had grabbed it and pulled it down over himself. "Geez, Raph, how do you manage to hog the covers from the floor?" he asked, pulling it back up onto the bed.

"Ninja skills," the sleepy turtle muttered. Then he realized where he was and what had happened. His eyes shot open and he jumped to his feet. The quick movement made his head spin and he groaned and hid his eyes in his hand. "Too bright, close the drapes, April."

"You guys owe me big time. I smoothed things out for you as much as I could, but this will be the _only_ time. You took a huge risk with your lives just because you were bored!"

Raphael winced at her raised voice and the effect it had on his blossoming headache. "What did you tell them?" Dread was forming in the pit of his stomach and he felt a wave of nausea go through him.

"I told them you were here all night. That you ate some bad meatloaf and got food poisoning. Both of you. So you are only on the hook for sneaking out."

Casey moaned and clenched his stomach. "Oh man, I didn't even drink that much. Why does it hurt so bad?" He curled up in a little ball and squeezed his eyes shut. When the wave of pain subsided he headed unsteadily to the bathroom.

"Thanks, April," Raphael said quietly.

"Just don't. Things are tense enough as it is without everyone finding out you were in the open, surrounded by people and getting _drunk_ of all things. When Casey is done in there go have a shower and rinse your mouth, you still smell like beer. Splinter will pick that up from the tunnel."

"April…" Casey called from down the hall.

"What?" she yelled back.

"I think there's something wrong."

"Ugh, now what?" she muttered, leaving Raphael and stomping down the hall to lean heavily on the bathroom door.

"I'm…bleeding."

"We talked about this, Casey, the tampons are right there in the drawer beside you. There are instructions and everything," she said, irritated.

"Yeah, but there's so much! I feel like there's a knife in my guts. I have a horrible headache. This can't be normal. I think I need a doctor," he whined.

"It's normal. Well, the headache might be from drinking. Man up, Casey. Every girl goes through this every month."

He grumbled from the other side of the closed door, then finally came out with a dark look. "You weren't kidding when you said it comes at the worst possible time."

"I'll get you some pills. It will help." April gave her bedraggled body a once over. "So would changing out of tight jean shorts and a bustier."

"Probably," he agreed.

April went downstairs to get him the drugs she promised and Casey leaned against the hallway wall, clutching his abdomen as another cramp tore through him._ No wonder girls are so bitchy when it's that time of the month._ He would never crack a joke to another female over it ever again. He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath as it started to pass. The floorboard creaked beside him softly and he expected to find April, not the wide, armored form of Raphael.

"Casey, you alright?" he asked, hesitant but concerned.

"Yeah, April says I'm gonna live." He managed a smile. "Being a chick is harder than I thought it would be."

"Yeah, no kidding," commented Raphael before disappearing into the bathroom. He heard April come back and take Casey down the hall from the other side of the door. He took off his mask and looked at his bloodshot eyes in the mirror. He had slept with his gear and wrappings on and all of his joints felt tight and uncomfortable. At least he had had the presence of mind to remove the weapons from his belt before passing out. He stripped out of everything and stretched out his stiff muscles before heading into the tub.

At home they had built large shower stalls. Raphael had never been in a bathtub before, not that he could remember, even if it was only to stand in. He pulled the curtain around and felt instantly claustrophobic in the narrow space. Every time he turned or bent his shell would clink off the tile wall. He finally decided to run it as hot as he could handle and leaned forward, pressing his arms to the tile and resting his forehead on his crossed wrists. The deliciously hot water ran down the back of his head and neck, collected in the hollow of his shell and then flowed over his sore shoulders.

Last night had been amazing and horrible all at once. He'd had a blast with his friend, gotten out of the stuffy sewers, listened to his first live concert, drank his first beer, had a lot of laughs and his first kiss. _I kissed Casey Jones_. The memory of those soft lips and curves made his body tingle even as his stomach lurched at the magnitude of his screw up. He had given in so easily to the heady rush of feeling wanted, to his absurd crush on his gender-bent friend and the soothing calm of alcohol. He felt ashamed, like he had taken advantage of both of his human friends at once. Casey had been drunk, not in his right mind or right body.

He ground his teeth in frustration. He never should have left the lair. He was going to get his shell handed to him by Splinter when they got back and that was _with_ April covering for them. He doubted she would be so accommodating if she knew he had sort of kissed her. His mind went full circle back to how good it had all felt. _Damn it!_

**ooooooo**

April was trying to be patient, she really was. Stuffing Raphael into an over-sized hoodie and track pants had been a feat in itself, but it was morning and he couldn't just saunter in broad daylight to the nearest private sewer entrance. Convincing Casey he needed to come along at all was another battle, until she pointed out how unfair of him it would be to leave Raphael to face Splinter's ire alone. Once in the tunnels all they did was whine and complain. Her two tough guys, reduced to moans and groans and shuffling feet by migraines and cramps. At some point Raphael's headache-heightened senses amplified the smell of the tunnels. He buried his head nauseously into the hoodie and was blissfully silent the rest of the way.

By the time they arrived everyone was in the dojo and well into their session. The three of them sat together in a miserable heap on the couch. April found the whole morning to be exhausting and was worn out already. Beside her Raphael rubbed his temples and tried not to throw up. Casey was next to him curled into the fetal position. They settled together, nearly dozing off until the racket of the turtles coming out of training and on their way to the showers echoed through the lair. Apprehensively they waited for Splinter, who finally arrived and stood in a looming silhouette before them. He regarded April first silently.

"Sensei, I'm sorry," she blurted, feeling compelled to speak. "They are really not well this morning and this is as quickly as I could get them here."

"Leonardo told me not to expect you in time for training. Thank you for your help in caring for and returning my wayward son." His eyes shot to Raphael's and April felt him shrink back into the cushions. "You may leave us, April."

"H-hai, Sensei," she said, nearly tripping over her feet in her haste to leave the common room and hide in Donatello's lab.

"As for you two," he said sternly, looking between wide pairs of green and blue eyes, "what have you to say for yourselves?"

Casey's heart beat a million miles a minute and he felt like he was on the verge of an anxiety attack. He had become as accustomed to Splinter as anyone who was phobic of rats could get, but seeing the angry, hard expression on the giant rat man almost undid him. Unconsciously his hand found Raphael's beside him on the couch and grasped a thick finger, his breaths starting to come out in short pants. If Raphael pulled away he was going to bolt. Instead Raph shot a glance Casey's way, trying to be reassuring.

Splinter collected himself and took a few steps back. He had forgotten about Casey's fear and tried to relax and look less threatening. "Raphael, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry, Sensei. I was just so bored and I knew Leo would give me a hard time going out at all, even if it was just to April's to hang with Case for a while."

"You do not think the others wish that they could go to the surface for a while as well?"

"I guess they do too…" he admitted.

"And yet they are here. Safe. While you take chances with your life out of selfishness."

"It was my idea," Casey said in a small voice, looking at the floor. He couldn't let Raphael take all the heat, even if he was still a bit scared to have the rat's attention on him. "I asked him to leave. He hadn't planned on sneaking out until then. I thought we would be safe enough at…the house."

Raphael and Casey's hearts pounded, hoping Splinter didn't see through the lie April had woven for them.

"Then you are _both_ very selfish," stated Splinter. "You disobey me while the others do not for the benefit of the group, despite wanting freedom as much as you do. Raphael, you are not to go to the surface until I allow it." He stroked his beard thoughtfully for a moment. "I think you both need a lesson in selflessness, so for the next week all chores are to be done by you. Split them up as you choose. Sick or not, you will start today. If I hear any complaints there will be added conditions to your punishments. Do I make myself clear?"

"Hai, Sensei," Raphael said immediately.

Casey paused. He knew he could rebel and just leave. Splinter wasn't his father or even his Master. On the other hand, Splinter could have banished him from their lives. Might have, had he known the whole truth. Casey should be nothing to him. Instead Splinter had eased back when he knew Casey was scared and had leveled a more than fair punishment on them considering what had actually transpired. He felt like he had been welcomed into the fold in the strangest of ways. "Yes, Sir," Casey answered, finally able to meet Splinter's gaze again.


	14. Chapter 14

April shut herself into Donatello's lab and let out a long breath.

"April!" Donatello called happily from across the cluttered room.

She jumped and spun around. "Oh! I wasn't expecting you to be here yet."

He shrugged. "There's only two showers and I wanted to get back to work right away. What did you need?"

"A hiding spot from angry Sensei and whatever he plans to do to Raph and Casey."

"Ah, yes. Good call." He smiled and ushered her over with a hand to his computer. "Come see. It just finished translating."

She grinned back and rushed over. Her hands found the back of his modified office chair and she leaned over his shoulder to look at the computer screen. He was shuffling through numerous files, brimming with excitement.

"I did it," Don said breathlessly. "I've downloaded everything they have from the last three months, earth time. I read the pattern correctly at TCRI."

He wasn't boasting, he was actually amazed. The sequence he had deduced while being shot at and having his brothers fight and lob grenades all around him had been a brand new puzzle. While waiting on pins and needles the last few days for his program to crack the code, he had given himself a 40% chance that he had obtained the most recent information imputed, a 30% chance that it was the oldest and another 30% chance that it was anything from recipes to inter-dimensional travel guides.

April released the back of his chair and she threw her arms around him from behind, pressing a kiss into his cheek. "I never doubted you," she said happily, twining her hands together against his hard, flat chest. The sharp tang of sweat and leather flooded her brain invitingly.

April's lips against his cheek shouldn't have surprised Donatello. It had come to be the way they shared their small victories together. What really shocked him was that those lips felt almost identical against his cheek as April's had, and his body responded in much same way; with the tense, mind altering state of awe that April had chosen to share her affection with him. It startled him a little bit. He felt her flinch at the sudden stiffness in his shoulders. Disappointment rolled off of her as she loosened her hands around him and started to pull back.

Donatello felt a pang go through him. He reached up and captured her hands in one of his before she broke away. He pulled them back down his plastron to where she had originally flung them. She was silent behind him, holding her breath. He closed his eyes and inhaled the smell of her vanilla scented shampoo. She had never bothered to switch brands. Slowly he relaxed into her, letting the back of his head rest on her chest and feeling the crazy thudding of her heart. She was excited and nervous. She _wanted_ this. He struggled internally between the thrill and uncertainty, wondering when her feelings for him had shifted.

Feeling the warmth of Donatello as he rested himself into her and the gentle, loose grip of his hand over hers made the blood crash deafeningly in April's head. It then crashed directly down to her groin and she clenched her jaw in frustration. She dared to look down at him, so close her loose bangs tickled across the side of his face. His head was tilted back and rested just above her solar plexus and the corner of his mouth had dipped up at the light brush of her black hair. Donatello's throat and neck were exposed at this angle. He looked the most human there, in the corded muscles of his neck, the Adam's apple on his throat, the little sweeping hollows of his clavicles that led to his perfectly toned shoulders.

He let out a long breath, his free hand clasping the armrest of his office chair and continued. "Even if the schematics for the Neuro-Switcher are right there in plain sight, it will take time to find the parts and rebuild it, assuming that I can."

The temptation to lean in and kiss his throat as he spoke was unbearable. April shifted back slowly, breaking contact casually. "And obviously the invasion will take priority over this little mix up." Her voice was a lot huskier than she would have liked and she winced.

"It will, but I am great at multitasking," he assured her. Donatello leaned forward again, combing through the information on his screen and struggling to focus. He groaned. "The Kraang write the way they talk."

April laughed. "I'm glad I got the heads up _before_ I offered to read through some sections for you." Donatello rolled his chair around to her, letting his face fall as he looked up at her with sad puppy dog eyes. "Joking!" she exclaimed with a smile.

"Works every time," he said smugly.

**oooooo**

Michelangelo's mischievous glee was contagious and Leonardo couldn't help but join in his evil cackling. They were setting a trap with an old metal bucket above the doorway, the bathroom still warm and humid from their after-training shower. They expected to catch Donatello on his turn. Leonardo wasn't usually Mikey's go-to turtle for help setting up pranks, but they had been spending a lot more time together as an unexpected side effect of the uproar their human friends had left them in. April and Casey were at the lair a lot more since they had to lay low from the human world and weren't attending school. With Donatello working so hard and Raphael spending most of his social time with Casey, Michelangelo had latched on to Leonardo.

They stepped out, closing the door painfully slow to prevent dislodging the bucket. They held their breath, half expecting to hear a clang and splash on the other side. It stayed balanced.

"Yeah, on the first try!" cheered Michelangelo under his breath.

"Too bad we couldn't add ice cubes to make it even colder," Leonardo said with a grin.

Michelangelo laughed. "Next time, bro."

"It's my day to clean the dojo. Go tell Donnie the bathroom is free." Leonardo gave him a sly grin before heading off.

Michelangelo rubbed his hands together wickedly, stalking off towards Donatello's lab. The door wasn't caught and he pushed it open just in time to see his brother being hugged and kissed on the cheek by dude April. His eyes widened and he immediately swung the door silently back into place.

"Not even going there," Michelangelo muttered to himself. He sidled up next to Casey who was busy washing dishes in the kitchen and wearing his tattered 'Kiss the Cook' apron.

"Hey," Casey greeted grimly, mouth set in a tight line.

Michelangelo smiled and started drying a pot from the dish rack. "Things are getting way too weird around here," he confided. "You gotta stop making out with my brother."

Casey stiffened and looked at Michelangelo in horror. _How could he possibly know?_

Michelangelo put the pot away and eyed Casey, who was staring at him like he had been punched in the gut. He grinned. "You might want to go in there and defend your honor or something, man. April's totally macking up the side of Donnie's face."

Casey turned red. "Dude, I didn't need to know," he managed. He turned back to the sink, hating the blush on his face and feeling a rush of relief that Mikey had not somehow known about Raphael. "You don't have to help me," he added, trying to change the subject.

Michelangelo kept on drying dishes as Casey washed them. "I know this must be part of your punishment from Sensei, 'cause I've never seen you clean anything before, but I'm not heartless. I know you are having a rough day, what with him making you work despite the food poisoning and it being…that time and all."

Casey groaned and wished he could melt into the floor. "How do you even know that?" Michelangelo tapped his nose. "Oh god, that's so embarrassing," Casey said, blushing brighter.

**ooooooo**

Raphael tidied and cleaned the dojo while Master Splinter went through some tai chi forms under the tree. Though his eyes were closed, Raphael couldn't shake the feeling of his Sensei watching over his shoulder. As much as he had protested wearing the tracksuit for his short time out in the sun this morning, he hadn't removed it. He even kept the hood up. He felt protected and secure, almost like he was hiding in his shell but without looking like a total coward. The hood blocked his peripheral view of Splinter and he focused on whatever task was in front of him.

Leonardo strolled in with a broom and stopped short. Splinter gracefully pulled up from his exercises, standing at full height and regarding his son.

"That will not be necessary today, Leonardo. Raphael and Casey are taking over all duties for the next week. Should you or the others need anything, consider them at your disposal."

Splinter's whiskers ticked in amusement at the serious expression Leonardo was trying to keep on his face. He knew his son was barely containing a huge grin. As he left the dojo Leonardo caught his arm gently.

"Don't be the next one to open the bathroom door," he warned his father in a whisper.

Splinter chuckled. Their confinement must really be getting to them if Leonardo had resorted to pranks. Maybe he would let them go on a short patrol soon. He left to do his daily sweep of the immediate tunnels surrounding their lair, a habit he had never grown out of since their infancy.

"Raphael and Casey Jones, at our disposal," Leonardo said cheekily as soon as Splinter left the dojo. "This place is going to be spotless by the end of the week."

"Shut up, Leo. Not in the mood."

"Ah, yes. _Food poisoning_."

Raphael turned angrily, teeth clenched. "Yes. I'm cleaning the dojo and then everything else can wait until I get some rest. Now push off, I'm almost done."

Leonardo knew there was something he was hiding. Raphael's green face poked out of the hood of his ridiculous grey sweatshirt, eyes red and tired. His voice was strained. He might be lying about something, but how awful he felt wasn't one of them. Plus, Raphael never admitted he needed rest. Leonardo tried to assess his brother better as Raphael turned away and pointedly ignored him to finish up.

A shrill scream and clanging metal cut through his thoughts. _Oh shit_. Leonardo dashed out into the hall, his brother hot on his heels, knowing exactly what he was going find. Donatello and April skidded to a halt in the hallway after hearing a scream from the lab. Michelangelo rounded the group, bragging about how he and Leo had rigged the prank. Leonardo rubbed his face and groaned.

"You guys are both dead meat!" Casey yelled, pointing between Leo and Mikey. He shook with anger and the chill of the water that had splashed down on him. His light blue shirt was plastered skin tight over his torso, and he crossed his arms over his bra-less breasts with a blush once he realized the guys were all trying not to stare. "I don't even have a change of clothes here right now!" His bottom lip trembled slightly and Raphael snarled, angrily pushing past his brothers and blocking Casey from their view.

"Show's over," Raphael snapped gruffly.

"I'll be right back!" April said quickly. She darted into the dojo to look through her duffel.

"We're sorry Casey," Leonardo offered. He shook Michelangelo's shoulder. "Isn't that right, Mikey?"

"Yeah, that was totally meant for Donnie."

"Hey!" Donatello cried indignantly. Shaking his head he tried to look around Raphael. "Casey, are you hurt?"

"No," he replied, April's voice sounding like a sob from behind Raph's shell.

The tone of it snapped at the heartstrings of both Donatello and Raphael. Don took an automatic step forward only to be blocked again by his bristling brother. He felt a twist in his gut as he glared down, irritated, into Raphael's blazing green eyes. Raphael could be overprotective with any one of them, but the possessiveness was new.

April returned with a handful of clothing and scattered the brothers stare-down easily with a _'privacy please?'_ look. They all went their separate ways and the tension between them diffused slowly.

Casey took the clothes from April and retreated from her quickly, hoping he had shut the door between them fast enough that she hadn't caught the glimmer in his eyes. He found a portion of floor that hadn't been soaked to dry off and change. His own tee shirt and track pants should have been welcoming, but they were too big and hung awkwardly on him. He shivered miserably. _Of all the days to get caught by one of Mikey's pranks_, he thought. A tear ran down his cheek and he wiped it away furiously. He had cried more in the last couple of weeks than he had in the last year as himself. His sadness seemed more poignant, more apt to linger than to turn to anger. Anger was easy. He could burn that away with fighting or sports until he was too tired to feel anything.

He pulled himself together and wandered out into the main area. Everyone was bustling around in the kitchen, making lunch and chatting happily. Michelangelo offered to make him a Peace Sandwich, but Casey clutched his stomach and shook is head. Raphael was sitting alone on the couch, as far from the others as he could get. Casey wondered if he had a chill as well; he hadn't removed any of the clothes April had forced him into. He hadn't even lowered the hood. Casey approached him slowly, noting the way he glared at his punching bag across the room as if he was mentally laying into it.

"You gonna just stand there shiverin' or what?" Raphael asked, eyes still focused on the bag.

"You don't look like you want company." Casey suddenly felt unsure of himself. An irrational fear that Raphael might be angry with him as well surfaced and worried around the edges of his weary mind.

"I don't," Raph answered curtly. Casey winced and started to back away. Raphael looked over at him and snorted. "You don't count, dumb ass."

"Jerk…" Casey smirked. "I am way too unstable for your shit today."

When Leonardo flopped down onto the bean bag chair to watch TV he spied the pair and rolled his eyes. They had both dozed off, Raphael with his head tilted back and mouth slightly open. Casey was curled in under his arm, expression grim against the grey hoodie. They looked perfectly peaceful and dejected at the same time. As Leonardo flipped channels he made a mental note to never eat meatloaf.


	15. Chapter 15

April shifted uncomfortably in Donatello's spare office chair, feet resting precariously on a folding card table, pink laptop resting on her long legs. Donnie shifted and cracked his neck from his spot at his desk a few feet away.

"I don't think I can read any more today," Donatello said in a defeated voice, taking a swig of cold coffee from a chipped blue mug. They had spent almost every waking moment over the last three days reading the plethora of hijacked information.

April grunted in agreement as she finished scanning one of the files he had emailed her. It contained the project details around bringing the Kraathatrogons to New York, their intended goals, the amount of mutagen they had managed to collect from their specimens and general husbandry of the creatures. She made a few relevant notes regarding their mutagen haul and that there were no plans in motion to bring any more worms to their dimension in the near future.

April sat up straight, closing her laptop and letting out a long breath. "Well, I know more than I ever wanted to know about breeding, raising, milking and riding giant worms. If we ever get stuck in Dimension X again I think we could make a decent living on a nice little farm somewhere. I can take care of the Kraang worms and you can have an endless supply of mutagen to test."

Donatello quirked one eye up at her from beneath the purple fabric of his mask, the corner of his mouth perking up into a half-grin.

April instantly floundered. "Not that we would have to live together or…anything. Unless you wanted to, of course." _Stop talking_, she willed herself. No such luck. Donatello watched her struggle with open amusement on his face. "And I'm sure you would be able to get us back again, I'm not trying to imply that you couldn't…" _Oh god, just stop._ She blushed and planted her face in her hand. "My mind is mush after reading hours of Kraang-speak. Can we pretend I didn't just do that?"

Donatello chuckled. "You always did it for me."

The comment put them into an awkward silence. It hit home the fact that Donatello really _was_ different with her, that they had traded places at some point. April with an ever-deepening and bumbling crush, Donatello unsure but encouraging in his friendship. It wasn't something they were quite ready to talk about, and they regarded each other nervously, trying to come up with an exit strategy for the conversation.

"Did you find anything useful?" April blurted.

Donatello cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah, I found out a lot today on how their energy source works. How to combine and splice it depending on the amount of power needed. Also, I could replicate their phaser weapons if I ever needed to, materials permitting."

April smiled, relaxed again. She got up and stretched out her long, lean form. It was getting harder to distinguish where she started and ended within Casey's body. Three weeks in and it was starting to feel natural, less foreign. She went through her day without the constant feeling of displacement that had plagued her in the beginning. Being male was still disconcerting, but being completely human was comforting. The subtle feeling of normalcy and _belonging_ to the world that she had never known was lacking in her true body became more obvious to her day by day.

She followed Donatello back out into the bustle of the common area distractedly, where she was immediately assaulted by the sound of screeching tires. Michelangelo and Casey were playing a racing game, attention rapt on their 'driving.'

Raphael was laying over the beanbag chair, his feet sticking up in the air, reading through a bundle of printed pages from the Kraang files. Donatello had immediately handed a stack over to Raphael after being informed he was to do whatever his brothers needed him to without complaint.

"Hah, I'm in the lead!" Michelangelo said haughtily. "You and Raph are gonna be our slaves for one more day."

"How did I get sucked into this bet?" Raphael demanded.

"Not gonna happen," Casey said triumphantly as he passed Michelangelo's car and threw a bomb back at him. The green sports car on the screen flipped up into the air and toppled off to the side of the track as Casey's car whizzed under the finish line.

"My baby!" Michelangelo cried, watching his car go up in flames. "What kind of a monster _are you_?"

"The kind that only has a couple more days of cleaning up after you slobs."

Raphael's eyes widened and he flipped over, sitting properly. "Guys! Guys, check this out. We have been upgraded to war criminals and terrorists on the Kraang's 'Most Wanted' list in at least five worlds."

Michelangelo's eyes sparkled. "That is _so_ cool! I bet there are versions of us in lots of dimensions, like those dudes we saw through the portal. And in each one, we fight the Kraang and all of their evil invasion plans." He really let his imagination run wild and got more and more worked up. "And we totally kick their butts in each one! So the Kraang tally up all of our crimes against them, launching us into their main nemesis to hold them back from the plot of dimensional domination!"

"Mikey…" Donatello groaned, too close to a migraine to deal with his brothers excited shouting.

It was to no avail. Michelangelo stood up on the couch, continuing with stories of turtle heroics across all the realities.

"Mikey!" they all yelled. He sat down and crossed his arms over his chest with a huff and pouted.

"Hey, this is a prisoner manifest," Raphael said, going over the pages. "Leatherhead, incarcerated."

That dropped the wind further out of Michelangelo's sails. "They _do_ have him."

"Yeah, but he's alive," Raphael said gently. He smiled sadly as he read aloud, "Slash, escaped, at large." He had no idea where Slash was, but he was happy the Kraang hadn't managed to imprison him again.

Leonardo and Splinter joined the group, pleasantly surprised by the contemplative quiet they had fallen into. Leonardo was going to change that with a few words. "Get ready guys, we're going topside," he said happily. Everyone cheered and whooped at finally getting Splinter's blessing to go the surface, gathering weapons and adjusting gear.

Splinter tapped his jade cane and everyone stilled instantly. "Stay in the shadows, seek out the Kraang and find out what they are up to within the city but do not engage them." He tilted a head to his red-clad son, one ear flicking back briefly. "Raphael, you will remain here for tonight."

Raphael's face fell. "But, but Sensei, I'm fine now. I was only sick for a day and that was a few days ago! My shoulder is fine and I've been training and I'm ready…"

"No," Splinter said simply. "Perhaps tomorrow."

Raphael gripped the handles of each sai tightly and glared at his father defiantly. The urge to lash out on one of his fidgeting brothers over the injustice he felt could barely be contained.

Splinter's eyes hardened and he pinned both ears back in earnest. "How gracefully you are able to accept your punishment will determine how swiftly it comes to an end."

"I'll be in the dojo," Raph barked to no one in particular, green eyes dropping to the floor as he stalked off.

"Alright, let's move," Leonardo said, cutting through the tension.

"You coming, Casey?" asked April.

"Nah, all my stuff is at your place," he answered.

April nodded and bounded out over the turnstiles to join the excited brothers. They practically burst onto the street, immediately scaling the closest building in seconds. April hustled to keep up with their exuberance but as always was a bit behind. It was still unbelievable to her how graceful and in tune they were with each other. Wordlessly Leonardo gave Michelangelo a boost, letting him spring off his cupped hands to execute a particularly complex flip across a wide gap in rooftops. Then Donatello in turn helped Leonardo across with the same gesture, allowing him to glide silently through the air to the other side.

As she caught up Donatello extended his bo staff back to her, barely needing to look back to know her position. April's face broke out into a grin. She knew exactly what to do and it made her feel part of their well-oiled machine. Taking the end of the bo in her hands she leapt, feeling her own momentum further propelled by the unrestrained power of Donatello swinging the staff. She let go at the end of the bo's arc, throwing herself into the night air towards the ledge without hesitation. Hesitation and fear made the fall inevitable. Her hands flew out to Leonardo, who caught her at the ledge with a pleased smile.

Then Donnie himself was flying over the gap, having used his staff like a pole vaulter to propel him. The moon highlighted the definition of his muscles and the elated expression on his face as he too, landed. He caught her staring and gave her a wink and a crooked smile before they were off again. April laughed aloud as she sprinted after them. She had never quite realized how full of sass Donatello was.

Most of their patrol was spent with the turtles releasing the pent up energy of confinement and enjoying the freedom of the summer night. They stopped over on the outskirts of every known Kraang hotspot in the city. They were painfully careful then, silent and hidden as Sensei had ordered. There was no sign of Kraang anywhere. Even checking over TCRI from a safe distance with binoculars, the activity on the upper levels was minimal. The rooftop sentries had abandoned post. The window had been repaired but everything else was still in disarray.

"Let's call it a night," Leonardo said finally, checking the time on his T-Phone. Something about the distinct lack of Kraang had him more on edge than a droid ambush.

**ooooooo**

Casey found Raphael in the dojo, viciously railing on a homemade training dummy. He didn't bother to try and pretend he wasn't watching the smooth roll of Raph's coiled muscles under green skin and started some stretches. The dummy was slowly coming apart, which only frustrated Raphael further. A final thudding blow to it's torso split it in two on it's post and sent a fascinating ripple up Raph's shoulder. If Casey had had April's tessen right then, he'd be fanning himself with it.

Raphael finally looked over to Casey, who was sitting on the floor touching his toes and staring at him with a smirk.

"What?" he bit out.

"Just wondering if you want to spar with something that'll hit back," Casey said with a shrug.

Raphael snorted. "You?"

Casey stood back up and adjusted his black yoga pants and yellow tank top before picking a foot up and holding it behind him. "Don't worry, I'll go easy on ya."

Raphael couldn't help but laugh. "I'm not sparring with you like that. No pads, no skates…no baseball bat," he finished sardonically, rolling his eyes.

Casey shook out his arms and rolled his shoulders. "Everything's at the house. Loose the sais."

Already Raphael felt the ridiculous antics of Casey pull him out of his foul mood. Casey was circling in the petite frame of April, eyes dead serious and stance low. Raphael chuffed and tossed his sais into the corner with the wrecked dummy. He gestured for Casey to follow him into the center of the room, turning his back.

Casey leapt at Raphael, tackling him around the legs from behind and throwing a shoulder into the side of him hard enough to leave red indentations of the ragged edge of his shell down his arm. Raphael pin-wheeled his arms to regain his balance but tripped up in a heap.

"Hey!" Raphael propped himself back up on his elbow and tried to shake Casey off, but he had curled around Raphael's leg, already setting him up for a knee bar. "Son of a…"

Casey tightened his hold and started to put pressure on the joint, confident that he would have Raphael tapping out any second. Instead, Casey felt a pull and his elbow jolted back painfully against his shell as Raph pulled his entire one leg in, then back out quickly in a push kick that knocked Casey a few feet away.

"You cheater!" Casey laughed.

"Not my fault you don't have a shell."

Raphael pounced at Casey, who rolled away just in time to avoid his bulk, then rolled back to deliver an elbow to Raphael's head.

"That's it! You're in shit now," Raphael growled.

Grappling wasn't a ninja's forte, but out of his brothers Raphael had the best handle on it from watching wrestling and mixed martial arts. Casey was on the wrestling team at his high school and actually knew what he was doing, and if he could get a hold on Raphael fast enough he could submit him. If he wasn't fast enough, their matches degenerated into the silly, drawn-out brawls that they were known for. Of course Raphael always expected to get the better of his human friend and usually did. But half the fun of their tumbles was knowing that every now and then Casey was resourceful enough to pull out a sneaky victory over him despite his lack of formal training, body armor or mutant strength.

After a brief tangle on the floor Raphael pinned Casey face down and wrenched his arm up behind his back. "Ow!" Casey yelped.

Raphael instantly let go and sat back smugly. "You were sayin', Jones?"

Casey huffed and sat up across from him, rubbing his shoulder. "That I was going to go easy on you? You're welcome."

Raphael pushed him over with his foot nonchalantly, grinning as Casey laughed and tried to squirm out from beneath it. Completely unbidden the image of him writhing around beneath his body made his breath freeze in his lungs harshly for a moment. He snapped his foot off of Casey's torso and felt a hot blush across his cheeks, realizing this was the first time they had been alone since sneaking out together.

Once free, Casey was bent on retaliation and threw himself towards Raphael. He was up and out of the way in an instant, jumping back and dodging Casey's touch as if it were toxic. Raphael felt his blood thrum hotly through him with leftover adrenaline. Everything felt different, as if he'd been struck by vertigo. Casey took advantage of his distraction, taking him down again.

His shell clunking softly against the tree added to his disorientation. He hadn't realized they had made it across the entire dojo. Raphael pushed Casey back with a hand on his shoulder, dread in his eyes.

"I don't wanna fight anymore," he said tightly.

"Me neither," replied Casey, his blue eyes meeting Raphael's heavily.

Raphael watched as a tiny feminine hand set itself over his freakishly large one, brushing it off of his bare white shoulder like it was nothing. Raphael became hyper aware that Casey was on his knees between his splayed legs and was slowly leaning in towards him. His carapace rasped against the tree as he tried to scoot back. His arms and legs were leaden and he felt as weak as a kitten. He hated it. He hated how weak he was, how his heart pounded, how his hormones surged.

When Casey's lips brushed his it was if a spell had been broken. Except he didn't want to escape and suddenly he was drunk all over again, muscles loose and relaxed, eyes closed, face tilting to get a better angle. Casey's hands firmly gripped the top ridge of his shell. Raphael let his fingertips run up along the outside of each thigh, over the curve of hips and finally settled around his waist.

When Casey's mouth left his, Raph leaned in to find it again, eyes still closed. Then he felt lips brush his throat and the warmth along his plastron of Casey pressing against him. Raphael let his head fall back against the tree with a rumbling groan. Casey's lips smiled against his skin at the noise.

Raphael had missed this feeling. The warm, weightless contentment was addictive. He wanted it to last forever, even though he knew it was impossible. His eyes snapped open and he pushed Casey away with a start.

Casey yipped in surprise and stared back at him.

"We can't do this again," Raphael said firmly. "This isn't right. That's…April."

"Didn't stop you before."

"We were drunk!"

Casey scoffed. "I have it on good authority that April kissed your brother in my body and you don't see me cryin' about it."

"Wait, what?" _There_ was a mental image Raph had never needed. He shook his head. "Doesn't matter."

Hurt flashed across Casey's blue eyes. "It matters. You're the first person I've ever really kissed," he admitted.

"Casey Jones, player extraordinaire? You?" Raphael said in disbelief.

"…that I cared about," he finished in a small voice.

Raphael's eyes knitted together. "You only want to kiss me 'cause you're a girl, and even then, I don't know _why_ you'd want to."

"Is that the only reason you kissed me back? 'Cause I'm a girl?"

"Of course!" Raphael snapped automatically.

Casey's eyes narrowed. "Figures it would take a pair of tits to get your attention," he muttered. "So when we switch back, you're gonna have a thing for April?"

"No. I don't think so?" Raphael's head was spinning and he rubbed the back of his neck like he was trying to soothe a headache.

Casey was standing over him, arms crossed over his chest angrily.

"What is going on with you?" Raphael asked, confused.

"What if I told you that I've liked you for a while? Like more than a few weeks…"

A very uncomfortable feeling crept up Raphael as he realized what Casey had just implied. He felt duped and lied to and…used. Casey had waited until his defenses were down, used his feelings against him and encouraged them to grow. Showed him what he would always miss out on and how wonderful it was. Then dropped a bomb on him.

"Of all the underhanded things…" Raphael growled incredulously. "Get out."

"I didn't plan on this! _None of it,_" Casey stressed.

"Get out!"

With that, Casey fled the lair, cheeks burning hotly.


	16. Chapter 16

"I found it!" April shouted, almost startling Donatello off a ladder across the garage.

The clatter and sparks ceased and Donatello peeked around the giant robotic leg he working on, pulling his welding guard up onto the top of his head. "Found what?"

"The Plan 10 file!"

Donatello hopped down from the ladder, hurrying over to where April sat on a tattered cushion. He knelt beside her and she tilted the screen towards him silently. He was covered in sweat and smudges of black and _still_ managed to look irresistible. He peeled off his custom welding gloves and scrolled through quickly.

"Can you rename the file from numeric code to 'Plan 10' and email it back to me? I want to finish the Turtle Mech's leg and clean up before reading it."

"Already done," she said happily.

He smiled at her warmly, shifting the laptop back to her. "I really hope I can pull this off."

"If you can't, promise me you won't blame yourself. I can't handle it if you avoid me again," she said, cupping his face. "Donnie, if this is permanent…"

"Don't," he said in a pained voice, closing his eyes. He wasn't ready for this.

"I don't care," April continued on. "Stopping the Kraang is the most important thing. If we can manage that, I'll be fine."

He let out a long breath and opened his eyes. "I will never stop trying to get you back."

"I'm here. Right here in front of you. And as nice as it has been to get to know you better these past weeks, the person you are for everybody else, I miss the Donnie only I knew. I never realized that the way you were with me was…special." She closed the laptop and set it aside, then gathered her courage and looked into his terrified brown eyes. "It wasn't just a crush, you loved me, didn't you?"

_So not ready for this conversation_, Donatello's mind screamed as his heart leapt into his throat. "I never stopped," he managed to say softly.

"But you don't want to be together if I'm like this?"

He closed his eyes and his face burned. "It's not like you changed your hair color, April. You're a man. I just…can't."

She growled in frustration. "The real me isn't my body! If you can't 'fix' me I'm no good to you anymore?"

"That's not what I meant." He grappled with his emotions, trying to say the right things and having no idea what they were. "I told you we would always be friends and that I will never stop trying to put you and Casey back. I have no other promises I can make you right now."

April's anger flared like wildfire. "You are the _biggest_ hypocrite I've ever met!"

"Excuse me?" Don replied heatedly.

"You spent almost two years trying to get me to fall for you, the real you. And once I did, my attraction to you followed, and you're not even human! You only fell for a pretty face! I guess my mind and personality were just a bonus, but now that the body is gone, forget it." She crossed her arms and glared at him.

Donatello stood, putting distance between them like he had been stung. "That is not true! How can you even say that after everything we've been through? Oh, and…you pretty much just admitted it took you _two years_ to get over the fact that I look different. You've only been like that for three weeks! And _Casey_ of all people, the guy you dated while you avoided me for something that was an accident."

"I never dated Casey!" she yelled, standing up straight suddenly. "He was assigned to me for tutoring, and then we became friends, and now he's part of our merry little group of misfits."

They stared each other down, hurt and angry. April felt her fists balls together and the undeniable urge to punch someone. In the face. A lot. Clenching her teeth she spun on her heel and made her way across the unstable tracks. She snarled a warning at Leonardo and Michelangelo on her way by the common area and headed straight for the dojo.

"What is wrong with everyone today?" Michelangelo asked his brother. "Casey is MIA, Raph is more of basket case than usual, and now April?"

From down the tunnels they heard the violent crack of metal reverberating against metal. "And Donnie, apparently," Leonardo sighed.

"Like a pair of old married couples or something."

**oooooooooo**

April blew into the darkened dojo, not bothering to switch the light on. She zeroed in on the punching bag and flung her fists into it with abandon. Her rage seemed disproportionate, a monstrous thing that could not be contained without making her explode. She let it out on the bag with fist and foot and shouts, until her knuckles went raw and her shouts turned to sobs.

She sat heavily on the floor, panting, bag still swinging gently behind her. "What am I doing?" she asked herself. Every time she tried to sort her emotions out and calm down, she just got angry again.

She heard a scrape and rustle from the corner of the dojo and immediately got to her feet and into a fighting stance. Raphael emerged from the shadow. "You done?"

"I…how long were you there?" she demanded.

"Whole time," he shrugged. "If you plan to go back at it, I'll take off to my room."

"You could have said something," she snapped, embarrassed that he had witnessed her entire outburst.

His green eyes glinted in the semi-dark as they narrowed.

"I'm sorry," she ground out. This was his home and she was interrupting his quiet time. His own knuckles were swollen and his muscles were tight. "What's wrong?"

Raphael growled and started towards the exit.

"Is this how it always is for you when you're upset?" April asked, still trying to control the tempest inside her. "The rage…it just doesn't stop. I feel like I could literally go on a murderous rampage right now."

He stopped and looked back. "Yeah."

"How do I make it stop?"

"Burn yourself out." Raphael flicked the light on, turned and cracked his neck. "You wanna spar?"

Her whole body sung at the idea. "Hell. Yes." She gave him a wicked smile and went for her tessen.

**oooooooo**

April got home late, plunking herself tiredly next to Casey on the couch to watch the action movie he had on. He was wearing a matching set of shorts and tank top pajamas and was covered in bruises. Her fair skin didn't agree with his rough lifestyle.

She laughed when she the pattern down his arm. "Oh man, we have matching Raph bruises," she joked, lifting her shirt to show him the line of shell ridge marks down her side.

Casey shot her a venomous glare and ignored her.

April darkened. "Fine, then. I've also had a crap day and I'm too tired to make the effort. Dad in bed?"

Casey nodded. He fought against the outburst that had been waiting to pour out since the night before. He knew April would be understanding, but there was no way he was going to get all hysterical and girly and start talking about his feelings.

April watched a building explode in the movie, then let her eyes roll over to where Casey was sulking. She had assumed he hadn't shown up at the lair today to shirk one of his cleaning days or possibly to catch up on homework, but his mood was too volatile. She remembered what a beast Raphael had been in training that morning, how short with everyone all day. He had been venting his own anger in the dojo long before she had joined him after her tiff with Donnie.

"Aw, shit," April said as it occurred to her.

"What?" Casey asked, annoyed, pretending to focus on the movie.

"You told him." Casey sighed and she changed tact. "I talked to Donnie today."

He turned the movie down and faced her finally. "How did that end?"

"With me wanting to punch a new gap into his teeth," April grumbled. "I don't know how you deal with this testosterone-fueled rage on a regular basis. Well I kind of do, now. No wonder you and Raph are such great friends."

Casey lowered his face into his hands. "Friggin' Raph," he mumbled.

April got up and winced, rubbing her side. "I know what will help us feel better, be back in a minute."

Casey scoffed angrily when she came back with two personal size cups of gourmet ice cream, two spoons and an ice pack.

"What do you think this is, some kinda chick flick? I didn't realize you girls did this for _real_." Nonetheless, he begrudgingly accepted his tiny tub of double chocolate fudge brownie ice cream and watched April settle in with the ice pack opposite of him.

"He misses you," April said.

"He has a funny way of showing it," Casey replied, attacking a spoonful of cold comfort.

"You know how he is," she said, waving a hand dismissively. "I could tell when we were sparring." She paused, letting some creamy chocolate melt across her tongue. "Donnie just wants to stay friends if we are stuck like this. I can't believe, _him_ of all people, can't see past the body to the person he has supposedly loved for almost two years."

"April, he's not into guys. You can't expect him to change that. I tried to change myself so that I liked girls, and look how well_ that's_ been going for me."

April eyed him. "You seem a lot more…accepting with it now. Quite the dramatic change."

Casey shrugged. "Honestly, being a girl makes it feel a lot more natural. Once you found out and I gave in to my feelings for Raph, it kind of just fell into place."

"So am I being too hard on Donnie?" April nibbled at the bottom of her cold lip guiltily.

"Probably. You think it doesn't hurt that Raph won't give me a second look once we change back? Y_ou_ on the other hand…"

She groaned. "Great, that's all I need. Another Casey Jones/turtle love triangle."

Casey laughed and damned if this ice cream and chit chat wasn't raising his spirits a little. "This is really good," Casey moaned, taking another spoonful.

"It's not as calming for me as punching stuff was, but I knew it would help you. I guess the body craves what the body craves," she said, shrugging.

"Mmhm," he agreed. "Except what kind of freaks _are we_ that crave mutant turtle? Seriously, I'm concerned about us, this goes way beyond the gay/straight thing. I know they're half human, but still."

April laughed so hard her ribs ached and she had to shove off the ice pack. "I know right? I'm so glad I'm not the only one." She contemplated for a moment. "Once you get used to them, they are kind of beautiful. And just normal guys, really. As normal as they can be with their upbringing."

"It took a while for me to get around the shell," Casey admitted. "Everything else looks fairly human, and then I just got overly distracted with those giant biceps."

"Long, lean thighs," hummed April with a smile.

"Amazing green eyes…"

"Cute little gap tooth smile…"

"That lightning shaped chip…"

"I've always wondered what it would feel like to kiss his throat," April admitted.

"Think of the softest snakeskin leather you've ever felt, but warm," Casey said with a drowsy smile.

"Wait, what?" April sat up and looked at Casey angrily. "You know that _how_?"

"We kind of made out," he said flinching.

"Casey!"

"Twice…"

She looked herself over with creeping panic. "How far did you get?"

"We just kissed, I swear!"

"Oh god, I let you guys sleep in the same room. It was that night you were drunk wasn't it? Are you _sure_ that's all that happened?" she asked suspiciously.

"Positive! The second time was yesterday, and he wigged out and we argued and now he thinks I had this plan all along to seduce him as soon as I got your body," Casey finished miserably. "Besides, Mike said he saw you kissing Don in the lab the other day."

"On the cheek!" she hissed.

"I'm sorry! If Don wants to kiss you I grant you full permission to go for it."

"I don't think this is going to be an issue for either of us at this point," she said rolling her eyes.

"Unfortunately…"

"Stupid sexy turtles. We are so messed up," she muttered. "Is there anything else I should know about, Jones?"

Casey thought for a moment. "He's really got a thing for your butt."

"I am going to punch him in the face _so hard_."


	17. Chapter 17

Leonardo stood watchfully over the group he had been tasked to lead and, not for the first time, regretted having ever asked Sensei for the job. He could scarcely believe that his youngest brother, who was reclined against a dormant exhaust fan screwing around on his phone, was potentially going to be his most reliable ally tonight. Donatello looked tired and a bit haggard, and had been fast to snap at the others all day. Raphael had a permanent scowl on his face and paced in agitation. April looked nervous and distracted, as if she would rather be anywhere else than with them. He supposed that might not be far off the mark considering she had skipped training this morning. Casey leaned on his hockey stick and kept his mask down, trying to hide how he glared at Raphael.

No one spoke and the night air was rife with tension. Leonardo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay, I don't know what is going on with all of you and I don't really care. I think we can all agree that there are much more important issues to tackle tonight." Raphael wasn't the only one who rolled his eyes and grumbled, and Leonardo steeled himself. "Casey, you're up. We found nothing the other night on our own."

Put on the spot, Casey huffed and replaced the hockey stick into it's holster with the baseball bat. "I can't do this with all of you starin' at me."

April took his arm and tugged. "I'll help you. Come." She led him to the corner of the rooftop and they looked down at the city lights and bustle below, turning their backs to the turtles. "Try and stay calm and focus. Think of the Kraang, try to find what connects you to them, then follow it."

Casey closed his eyes and tried, but all he could focus on was the sound of Michelangelo chattering and Raphael growling in frustration at their inaction. The more time that went by the more impatient he could feel all four turtles getting behind him, shifting their weight and sighing softly.

"I can't," Casey said under his breath.

April put her hand over his sympathetically. "Ignore them. Pretend your mind is on patrol through the city. Who are you looking for?"

He closed his eyes again. "I'm looking for…whoever needs a serious beat down. Someone the cops won't or can't deal with, but I can."

April smiled and put her hand over her mouth to snuff a giggle. _That would be how Casey sees it._

Casey's hands tightened over the rough brick and he shuddered as his mind stretched out like a web, snaring vague scenarios of violence being done all around him. "There's too many," he said, gritting his teeth. "We could never help them all." A helpless feeling started to sweep him away and he groaned and shifted down onto his knees under the weight of it.

The brothers went quiet and still, concerned, but April waved them off, warning them not to come closer.

"Casey, listen to my voice. Focus on your original thought. Filter out everything that the police are able to deal with. Look for a thread that feels tainted by Kraang."

Casey felt hands on his shoulders and let his own soothing voice ground him. He started mentally severing himself from the web, feeling like he failed each person who needed help along the way. _Focus_, he told himself. "What do the Kraang feel like to you?" he asked.

That question made April tense. She had never considered it or put it into words before. She shifted self-consciously, not wanting the others to hear. Almost whispering in his ear, she answered. "They feel like what you are homesick for, but shouldn't be."

Casey's teeth clenched together as everything else fell away. He knew _exactly_ what she meant after his weeks away from his home and abusive father. He found it within April so effortlessly that he wanted to laugh at how obvious it was, wondering what took him so long. He pointed towards the harbor. "The docks. There is something going on there. Not the Kraang themselves, but they are involved somehow."

"You heard him guys," Leonardo said firmly. "Let's set our bickering aside and be ninjas. Quiet ones," he added, shooting a warning glance to Michelangelo.

**ooooooo**

When they arrived at the docks Leonardo's first impression was that Casey had made a mistake. The only activity that night was a group of regular looking workers moving a few wooden crates off a small boat. The crates were large and heavy enough that it took two men to carry them, but nothing about them looked insidious. Just plain wooden crates being loaded into a plain, dilapidated white cargo van. Further down the harbor a much larger cargo ship had just come in, and shouted orders from the men there carried on the wind.

"Are you sure it's not over there?" Leonardo whispered to Casey.

"It's these guys," Casey confirmed.

Leonardo was gripped with indecision. They couldn't just waltz out there and demand to inspect the boxes. He took in the details of their interactions carefully, trying to find who was in charge of the men. His heart caught in his throat when he saw a petite form hop lithely down out of the boat.

"It's Karai," Leo whispered. She was wearing jeans and a hoodie but he knew from the way she moved, from the slight curve of her cheek when the light caught it.

A rough growl behind their hiding spot startled them all. "I don't know how you ever would have known about this, but I'm sure glad you could join us." Rahzar towered over them, relishing the moment as his yellow eyes glittered in the moonlight. He scattered all six spies from their hiding place with one snap of his massive jaws.

Cover blown, Karai shouted orders in Japanese and instantly had her tanto drawn, bulky sweatshirt shed to the ground.

Rahzar took chase to Michelangelo instantly. "Raph, help him!" Leonardo shouted. "Donnie, check the crates. Casey, April, foot bot incoming." And then he was engaged in battle with Karai, steel flickering against steel. "I don't have time for your games tonight," he said gruffly.

Karai laughed, her eyes glinting with mischief. "I don't have time for yours. I was trying to keep a low profile."

"I don't want to fight you," he said angrily, blocking a jab towards his throat.

"Good, I don't want you to either," she retorted, kicking him back just enough to free her blade and swinging it in a graceful arc. It nicked his bicep, blood seeping lazily from the shallow wound. His eyes snapped to narrowed white slits and she felt a shiver of excitement go down her spine. Maybe she did have some time to play after all.

Donatello took out the foot soldiers disguised as dock workmen and leapt into the back of the van. Cracking open one of the crates, he found a neat row of Kraang phasers. "They're Kraang weapons," he yelled at Leonardo as he zipped past in a full sprint. He popped the blade in his staff and impaled a four-armed foot bot from behind, hauling it away from April and giving her a chance to freely swing her tessen. A shower of sparks fizzled into the air as her blade almost completely decapitated it.

Tension forgotten, they seamlessly resumed the partnership Splinter had been instilling in them as a sparring team. She protected his left side and the vulnerable backs of his legs, slashing anything that made it within his guard. Donatello refused to be distracted by the multiple limbs, each one armed with different weapons, blocking only when he needed to but focusing on destroying the head or core of the robots. Casey circled them on his skates with manic speed, striking the bots surrounding April and Don strategically with his hockey stick or viciously fast pucks.

The sounds of battle alerted the night crew down the lanes unloading the large ship. Leonardo caught glimpses of them in the distance watching, and soon sirens started to wail. _Time to go. _He caught Karai's tanto between his katanas and pulled her in close to him. "Meet me in twenty minutes on the cathedral roof," he said into her ear. He felt her shiver against him.

"What makes you think I'm going to let you leave?" she asked snarkily.

"This," he said simply, striking a pressure point with the hilt of his sword on the side of her neck. She instantly went limp. "Fall back!" he yelled.

"I want the crates," Donatello called back, lacing the air with shuriken to help cover their retreat from the remaining foot bots.

"The van," Leonardo panted, wrenching open the driver's door. He squeezed into the driver's seat and felt the thump of Casey, April and Donatello piling frantically into the back as the last three foot robots attacked the vehicle. "Hang on to something!" He peeled out and heard gunfire behind him. Donatello was hanging on to an anchor and held Casey steady as he used one of the Kraang guns to dispatch the robots chasing them.

April shakily made her way to the passenger seat. "Mikey took off in that direction," she pointed.

**ooooooo**

Michelangelo had bolted to the darkest and most desolate area of the docks, off a closed storage warehouse near the water. He knew Rahzar would follow him. They _always_ followed him. So he wanted to go where there would be no people and lots of enormous shipping crates to cast shadows and blind alleys. He sensed a movement from Rahzar and instinctively ducked. The clang of thrown bone claws embedding into the metal where his head had just been reminded him to always trust his instincts.

Michelangelo tensed and sprung unexpectedly straight up, twisting around mid-air to deliver an ax-kick directly down into he dog man's skull. His toothy jaws snapped shut and he was floored, splayed flat out on his stomach. His giant clawed hand swept out in front of him before his vision cleared, seeking Michelangelo out. Instead, Michelangelo extended the chain from his weapon and bound the hand, stepping down on the chain to hold him down. Rahzar let loose his horrifying laugh, simply standing up and pulling Michelangelo towards his gaping maw.

Raphael had followed Rahzar's pursuit, but had been attacked by a stray foot bot and dispatched it as quickly as possible. He was spoiling for a real fight and he knew Rahzar would not disappoint. When he heard Michelangelo yell out in fear, he went into overdrive. He launched himself into Rahzar's side like a wrecking ball, making him yelp and topple into the side of a shipping container. He dropped Mikey, who rolled away and got back to his feet swiftly.

With the blade of his sais between his fingers Raphael punched into Rahzar, trying to hit anything soft but only clanging off bone armor. Rahzar recovered enough to fling Raphael directly into Michelangelo and pounce, the brothers barely managing to block the sharp talons and kick out from beneath him. Raphael snarled as Rahzar went for Mikey again, this time managing to plunge the point of his sai into his narrow belly. Rahzar roared in pain and spun to snap at Raphael's arm, but the chain of Michelangelo's kusarigama wrapped around his mouth like a muzzle. The beast flailed, hot blood flowing over Raphael's fist as he twisted his sai and pulled away.

A horn honking wildly nearby made them jump, and Michelangelo struggled to pull Raphael away.

"Mikey! Let go, let me end it," he growled.

"Leo's calling us, the cops are coming dude, can't you hear the sirens?" he said, his blue eyes wide and clearly shaken.

Raphael honestly couldn't hear a thing above the rush of his heartbeat in his own head. He grimaced at Rahzar, who clutched his bleeding abdomen and skittered off to a safe hiding place to lick his wounds. Raph was ushered into the back of a windowless van to sit awkwardly on top of wooden crates. Red and blue lights flickered through the interior eerily as Leo ducked down in the driver's seat, letting the police fly by.

"Are you guys okay?" Donatello asked, trying to keep his voice steady. He looked between Mikey, who was scuffed, panting and had his mask slightly askew, to Raphael, who sat with cold calm fury and most of his right arm covered in blood. Casey sat next to Donatello clutching a gun, watching the blood drip from Raphael's hand and knowing Raphael would loose it if he tried to help.

"We're ok. Man, I was almost dog food, bro!" Michelangelo smiled and laughed, calming his own tension and happy to have gotten out of there.

Raphael didn't answer. When he realized that everyone was watching his bloodied hand drip down onto the crates he sighed. "I'm fine. It isn't mine." That didn't break the strained atmosphere the way he hoped it would, but at least they made a point of not staring.

**ooooooo**

They hadn't wanted him to go back out on his own, but Leonardo insisted that dropping off the beat up van was the least they could do after stealing all the weapons. It was a weak excuse, but their battle had left everyone tired, filthy and hungry and they didn't have the energy to resist him. Leo left the instant Master Splinter had come into the room, while he was too distracted by Raphael's blood-spattered appearance to question him.

He drove to the cathedral, parked in the very back of the parking lot and scaled the building. The roof had deep peaks and was difficult terrain to walk or climb over. He hoped it was enough that she wouldn't try to start a new fight with him. Exhaustion ate away at the edges of his consciousness, and truly all he wanted to do was bathe and sleep.

Karai was already there, sitting on a gargoyle. He kept his distance, balancing atop a nearby peak.

"I should kill you, you thief," she spat.

He slowly slid one katana from it's sheath, keeping it between them just in case she was crazy enough to try and close the precarious gap. "Is Shredder still allied with the Kraang? Is that why they gave you weapons? Or did you steal them?"

"What business is that of yours?" she asked angrily.

"Karai, I'm here to give you, and by extension, Shredder, a warning. You know how hard that is for me right? Especially now that I know he's not your father."

"Not this drivel again." She rolled her eyes but she didn't leave and waited for him to go on.

"It's not…" he looked away and sighed in frustration. "You _belong_ with us. I don't want to see you get hurt, but since you refuse to leave the Foot this is all I can do. You need to convince Shredder to cut any alliance with the Kraang. Whatever they've promised him, they are not going to deliver."

"You would say anything to get him to use his resources against them. Less time to focus on you and superior firepower. All I see here is theft and manipulation. You _are_ becoming a ninja after all," Karai laughed.

"Do you really think that the Kraang are going to make special provisions for you and Shredder for helping them? Their end game is extermination of all life on earth to recreate their home world. And even if they did, would you want to live your life like that? The only ones of your kind surrounded by millions of creatures who could care nothing less for you?"

Karai scoffed. "I guess you would know what that feels like."

Her words hit him harder than she ever could have physically. His eyes shut and he crumpled inward, lowering his sword. At that moment, she could have struck him dead. Her tanto wavered in her hand but her body wouldn't move.

Leonardo's eyes were ice cold when they met hers again. "Yeah, I guess I would."

She felt instantly ashamed of herself, even though this type of mental battering was exactly what she had been trained to do. Weaken the mind and the body will follow. But Leonardo wasn't weak. Within moments he looked strong and proud and angry even in the face of the horrible truth she had thrown back at him. "Leo…"

He cut her off with a curt tilt of his head and a hard, disappointed glare. She stilled, as if being reprimanded by her father.

"Consider the weapons we took as your contribution to this war."


	18. Chapter 18

Kirby O'Neil hummed to himself as he heaped fresh strawberries onto crepes for their third Sunday morning breakfast as a trio. He was getting used their strange arrangement, even though it seemed it would be longer lasting than he had first expected. He found Casey to be brash but overall respectful to him and his home.

Once he had caught wind of what Casey's home life was like, Kirby forbid April to enter that house under any circumstances. He hadn't realized how bad it was until Casey had cracked a joke to him one day, sending him into a peal of laughter. Without thought he reached out and ruffled his hair, something he did whenever April made him laugh. Casey had flinched so hard he bumped noisily into a wall. This was a kid that fought monsters and was covered in bruises from roughhousing with a ninja turtle. Kirby had apologized and Casey blushed in embarrassment before taking off out of sight, and he had made a mental note to be more mindful of Casey's personal space.

Not that they all spent that much time together, which is why he loved that April stuck to their Sunday morning tradition. He brought in the plates, setting one for each of them. The two teenagers perked up at the sight of food but had obviously had a rough night. He smiled and tried to cheer them up despite the churn of fear in his stomach. _How close to serious injury had they come this time? Or worse?_

"So, I am officially a criminal," he stated happily instead. "I hope you are proud of yourselves."

They both scoffed through mouthfuls of strawberries and looked at him with an '_as if_' expression.

"April, due to your debilitating case of mononucleosis you have been pardoned from exams, and your final grade was based on the rest of the semester. Despite everything, you've maintained great marks. I'm really proud of you."

April smiled and felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

"Casey, I wrote a note under the pretense of being your psychologist explaining that you had a lot of personal issues you were working through. I hope you don't mind the liberty. It was the only way I could salvage your school year without having you flunk a few classes. Then I forged your father's signature on a document. You are also exempt from exams," Kirby said.

"So everyone is gonna think I missed the end of the year because I went psycho?" Casey asked. Kirby shifted uncomfortably while Casey considered for a beat. "Cool," he said with a smile and a shrug, making April laugh across from him.

**oooooooo**

April popped over the turnstiles with a giant smile on her face. July had come early for her and she was thrilled to be officially done with school for the summer. The turtles seemed calm as they finished off an early lunch at various lounging points around the common area. It was short lived. The sight of her was enough to make Raphael scowl and stalk away to the dojo.

The others gave her a proper greeting, after which Michelangelo regaled her with an exaggerated version of his and Raphael's fight with Rahzar the night before. Donatello pointedly gestured that he was heading back to his sanctuary without words, implying he would like her to join him whenever she could tear herself away. She gave him a slight nod and then focused on the excited brother, who was demonstrating some of his moves.

"Enough, Mikey," Leonardo drawled. "You're going to break something."

Michelangelo pouted back at his brother but settled and left to watch TV.

"You did a really good job last night," Leonardo said to April once they were alone.

April beamed under his praise. "Thanks. I'm glad to see you made it back in one piece from your solo trip."

"I'm glad all of us are in one piece. I can't believe I let Rahzar sneak up on us like that."

"Hey, none of us heard him either," she said.

"You all seem…distracted. Did something happen that I should know about?" Leo asked.

"It's complicated," she answered, caught off guard. "And personal. I don't mean that to sound offensive, it's just that I don't feel right talking about other people's private lives."

"I understand. Should I try to talk to Raph? He seems worse than usual."

"I'm going to try first, okay?" she said.

He snorted. "Your funeral…"

April laughed but took a few deep breaths before heading into the dojo. She had no idea what was going on in Raphael's head but she felt compelled to help somehow, even if it was only to let him vent. She found him practicing a complicated kata that Splinter had taught the boys last week, something way beyond her pay grade. She sat on the sideline and watched him, waiting for him to speak the words she already knew were going to come out of his mouth. She had already been through this with Donnie when she had first switched bodies, after all.

"April, please go. I can't look at you right now."

"Wow, I wasn't expecting the 'please,'" she said.

"If you were expecting the rest, why are you in here?" he snapped.

"To give you a nonjudgmental sounding board if you need it."

He stopped his kata and crossed his arms. "I don't."

"I know, Raph. I know what happened. _All of it_," she added, eyebrow raised.

_That_ took the edge off of him. He looked ashamed and stared down at the intricate patterns of the rug in front of him. "I'm sorry that I sort of kissed you."

"I was a bit shocked before, but I'm kind of over it. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't have done the same thing if Donnie was willing."

"So that's what's up with you two."

She shrugged, taking her turn to look away and running her hand over the threadbare corner of a rug.

"How long have you known Casey was…gay?" He struggled over the word. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I figured it out once I was in his body and he was furious. He hadn't accepted it himself and he didn't want anyone to know. He made me promise not to tell you or the others."

Raphael's jaw tensed in frustration. "Why not?" he demanded. "We're supposedly best friends!"

April took a deep breath and wondered how much she should say; whether it would make things better or worse.

"What?" Raphael asked, coming closer.

"He was afraid you might cut him off from your friendship, or…hurt him."

Raphael bared his teeth at her. This was too surreal, having this conversation about Casey with April-as-Casey. He was stung. "I would never…why would he think…" He stopped. That was exactly what he was doing. Not physically, but he knew in his gut that Casey was hurting. Raphael tried to imagine Casey coming out to him, before the kiss and the gender swap, then pictured him confessing his feelings, and what his reaction would have been. Not any better, Raphael had to admit.

April watched the gears turn in Raphael's head, holding her breath to see what direction his mood would move him. Slowly he relaxed and rubbed his face with his hands.

"April, sometimes I hate you."

She chuckled. "Then my work here is done."

**ooooooo**

April entered Donatello's lab nervously. She crossed the room with a hurried, tremulous gait. He opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off.

"Donnie, I wasn't fair to you and I'm sorry," she blurted quickly. She rolled her chair up to his so they were facing each other, seeing only surprise in his brown eyes.

"Oh." He hadn't been expecting that at all. "Thank you?"

"I can't expect you to change for me. It was just really hard not to get offended. In my head I'm still the same person."

"May I defend myself on that point?" he asked.

"Of course, but you don't have to," April answered.

"I just want you to understand my side. Do you still have that awful picture of me in your wallet?"

She laughed. "Yes. It's not awful, it's funny."

"Can I have it for a minute?"

April dug through her wallet to the hidden picture and smiled. Donatello had actually been in the background of a photo of Mikey. The camera had auto-focused on Donatello when he had gotten excited about something and gestured with his hands. It captured a candid and unguarded expression; his hands were up, his mouth was open, one eye was bigger than the other. He had insisted she delete it but she loved it and how excited and happy he looked. She had printed a copy for herself and cut him out. She teased him that she kept him in her wallet so he could always make her laugh, wherever she happened to be.

She passed it over and Donatello promptly ripped it in half.

"Hey!" she protested.

Donatello gave half of it back to her.

"I better still have this on my memory card somewhere!"

"Just keep that half. It's still the same picture you liked so much, with my stupid face that makes you laugh," he said wryly.

She looked at the image angrily. "It's only half the picture! Let me have the other half so I can tape it up." Her brain finally caught up. "Oh. Nice one, Splinter Junior."

Donatello smiled gently. "You are only half the picture. I fell for everything about you, not just the shape of your body. I miss your laugh, your scent, your energy, the funny face you make when you're about to sneeze and that look in your eyes when you tease me. I liked that you were shorter than me, because your head tucked in perfectly under my chin when you hugged me. I miss you, even though you're here. Understand?"

April felt her heart in her throat and tears prickled her eyes. She laughed and cried helplessly at the same time, overcome by emotion.

Donatello got to his feet in alarm. "April?"

She shook her head and tried to speak through heaving giggles. "I was supposed to make _you_ feel better. And you just go ahead and say the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me, and I love you so freaking much right now, but I don't want to touch you and weird you out and this is the worst combination of feelings ever." The last bit of hysterics was followed by a sob.

Donatello handed her a tissue, his head reeling. "Did you just say…?"

She wiped her eyes and blew her nose and struggled to get herself under control. "Yes," she answered. She thought self-consciously about how insane she must look and sound and pulled it together.

Donatello's blank face suddenly split into a giant grin. He never thought he would hear those words leave her lips. Of course, they physically weren't really hers but he didn't care. He pulled her up into a fiercely tight hug and she clung to him like her life depended on it. "I love you too," he said. "Whatever happens."


	19. Chapter 19

"I'll walk you home," Raphael stated, making April jump and clang a knee off the metal turnstile.

"You've really got that stealth thing down," she laughed, turning around to swat him.

April knew what he was really up to, of course. Raph had probably been stewing all day since she had talked to him, working up the courage to face to Casey. He looked calm and level-headed at the moment so she kept a poker face as they entered the tunnels. They walked in silence. April was still giddy from making up with Donatello earlier that afternoon, and even spending the entire day reading and taking notes on the Kraang invasion couldn't break her mood.

"So you and Don, huh?" Raphael asked tentatively as they neared the end of the line.

A smile lit up her face even in the darkness. "Yeah," she said almost bashfully. "Well, kind of."

He looked up at her and shook his head in disbelief. "I've never seen you smile like that. You really got it bad, don't you?"

"_So_ bad," she confirmed, laughing a little at how obvious she was.

"We never thought it would happen. For any of us," he said quietly.

Raphael slowed and gazed up at the sewer grate warily, having second thoughts. April went up first and gave him the all-clear. He couldn't wuss out in front of April, she knew exactly why he was there. He took a deep breath and willed himself out from the underground, merging immediately with the shadows.

"Tell him to meet me up top." Raphael leapt up and ambled across the row of residential rooftops, April parallel below on the sidewalk.

Raphael heard her enter the house and settled himself down. Minutes ticked by and he found himself wondering what to even say. When he heard a window scrape open his stomach turned over itself. Casey struggled onto the roof and gave Raphael a cautious look.

"I can't stay long or Leo will have a fit," Raphael said, mostly for an out in case the conversation went south.

Casey allowed himself a small smile. "Never stopped you before."

The corner of Raphael's mouth turned up before returning to a tight line. "He's always wound extra tight for a couple of days after seeing Karai." Casey stayed silent and Raph started to fidget. He needed to get this over with so went straight to what had bothered him most. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Hah." Casey shook his head and finally came closer, sitting down across from Raphael and mindfully keeping some distance. "You mean besides how well I knew you were going to take it?"

Raphael blew out a breath, looking up at the stars for a moment. "Yeah."

"I didn't tell anyone. I didn't want to be different or a disappointment. I never wanted you to find out."

"You didn't trust me," Raph said flatly. That was the notion that had really upset him most.

"Of course I trust you. It's not that. Finding out there was a whole team of mutant ninjas doing what I wanted to do, fighting against evil in the city, it was awesome. Then I make friends with you and you're like, the ultimate bad ass. I didn't want you to ditch me or think I was some kinda pansy or something," Casey admitted.

"There ain't anyone that's ever gonna to call you a pansy without loosing teeth, Jones. And that's just what _you'll_ do to them," he said, thudding a fist into his open palm.

Casey smiled, happy to know Raph still had his back, but it faltered. "I tried really hard not to like you. _Like that_. Then I got switched into this body and you started lookin' at me differently. I know you didn't mean to either, that you tried to treat me the same. I wasn't exactly thinking beyond the moment when I kissed you. I won't do it again."

"Well, okay, then. Are we good?"

"Yeah, we're good," Casey said, rolling his eyes. Raph never was one for a proper apology.

Raphael stood up and breathed a sigh of relief. Problem solved, right? Neither of them wanted to be more than friends. "I should go back. See you tomorrow?"

"Sure."

Raphael took a few steps before stopping and looking back at Casey over his shoulder. "You really think I'm the ultimate bad ass?"

"Hell, yeah," Casey laughed. He caught a glimpse Raphael's wide smile before he turned back and disappeared into the night.

**oooooooo**

It should have been easy the next day. They had made up their minds the night before. No more mushy crap. Just a couple of bros hanging out, playing video games, going for a skate, roughing up some Purple Dragons. Same old. So what if it was the happiest Raphael had been all week? He could admit to himself that he had missed Casey and the freedom to patrol together now that the Kraang were scarce.

The next few days should have been even easier, but to Raphael's growing dismay it had only become worse. An unspoken agreement settled between them. Some things became taboo, top among them their once famous brawls or anything else that required physical contact. They skirted around each other like they had the plague. They chose their words carefully, making sure certain subjects were not brought up, even in jest.

It was driving Raphael crazy. He didn't like living under restrictions, even if they were self-imposed. It was ridiculous.

To prove his point to himself Raphael sat shoulder to shoulder with Casey on the couch like they used to for playing video games. They had always elbowed each other to try and mess up the opposing game. Immediately he regretted his decision. Casey looked surprised, then his blue eyes lit up and he smiled almost shyly which brought out a dumb grin in Raph that should have made him angry. Casey was pressed lightly against his right side, the warmth radiating off of him melting Raphael's resolve. _This is why we don't touch, dumb ass,_ he reminded himself.

Casey turned to face him and met his gaze heavily. Raphael got lost in those now smoldering blue eyes and gulped, dry-mouthed. His heart galloped in his chest as his eyes lowered to Casey's slightly parted lips and noticed the blush creep up his freckled face. Raphael shifted and his head dipped down a fraction as if drawn in magnetically. His whole body screamed at him to reach out and stop resisting.

"Shall I get a bucket of ice water?" Leonardo offered, standing behind the couch with his arms crossed over his plastron.

They flew apart to opposite sides of the couch, mortified. The fact that the 'Start' screen was still flashing on the TV seemed further damning. Neither of them could speak.

"I _knew_ it," Leonardo growled. "All this drama all over the lair and within the team, and it all boils down to you two being too impulsive and irresponsible to ever consider the consequences of your actions."

By the time Raphael came up with something to say his brother had already left. He tossed his controller aside angrily as frustration coiled through his center like a snake.

"Time to bust some heads?" Casey asked, still flushed.

Raphael gave him a dark look. "Gear up, Jones."

**oooooooo**

Up above the city, in the open air and with the promise of violence lingering over them, they were at ease.

"Alright, Case, time to do your police scanner thing."

Since learning how to cast the net of his mind out to find people in need of help, he and Raphael were never at a loss for work. He focused not only on who needed help right then in their proximity, but could narrow it down to which ones would benefit from their unique brand of justice.

"Shit, got one." The connection he'd made thrummed with urgency and Casey ran as fast as he could, letting his strange sense guide him with Raphael on his heels. He skidded to a stop in an alley where five men circled around and kicked at a balled up figure on the ground. "Hey!" Casey yelled furiously.

The men stopped, staring at the spiked feminine figure with a skull mask and burst out laughing. The man on the ground lurched away.

Casey pulled out his baseball bat, slinging it horizontally across his shoulders and letting his hands dangle over it. "These guys aren't even worth the hockey stick," he muttered. He heard Raphael chuckle from the shadows, unseen.

Casey distracted the goons by sauntering further into the dank alley, allowing the injured man to get to his feet and to make a shaky run for it. Regular Joe kind of guy. A mugging gone terribly wrong. The men circled their new toy like a pack of hyenas. Slowly Casey shifted his hand to grip the base of the bat, still across his shoulders, ignoring their lewd comments and cat calls.

"Let's see what's under that mask, baby," one of them said, finally making a grab for him.

The one handed whip of Casey's bat leaving his shoulder and connecting with the goon's face was so fast that the guy didn't know about it until he was cradling his broken jaw and keening in pain. Casey knew the other four would pounce the instant they realized what he had done, and repositioned himself immediately so that none of them were behind him.

"You little bitch," one of them spat as they quickly advanced.

Casey readied his bat as if he were planning to hit a home run. "Come get some," he taunted.

Only two of them reached Casey. Goon #1 tried to catch the bat as it swung towards him, obviously not heeding the warning of his friend's broken face. Casey was offended that the idiot still assumed he was weak. The bat connected with Goon #1's hand in midair, the audible sound of bones breaking only cut off by his pained shrieking. Casey tried to follow up with another strike to Goon #2, but he had gotten in too close and managed to take hold of the arm swinging the bat. The man's fist wound up for a punch that never came, as a giant green hand caught his arm and broke it. One more strike and he was unconscious, and Casey was free from his grip.

"Hey! I had that completely under control," complained Casey.

"I was bored," Raphael shrugged. He gestured to Goons #3 and #4 who were taking a nap they wouldn't want to wake up from. Goon #5 looked like he was in shock after seeing Raph, still on the ground bleeding from his mouth.

"That's 'cause you put them all to sleep," Casey pointed out.

"Better than your two over there, cryin' for their mamas and makin' a racket," retorted Raphael. "Let's get out of here."

"Ten more fights like that and it might actually be a workout," Casey joked once they were clear of the site.

"Barely," Raphael scoffed.

Watching Casey smash that jerk's face in had made his blood pump faster than the minimal effort it had taken to subdue the others. Raphael replayed it in his head, amazed at the speed and power that little body had managed to unleash. It had been undeniably hot as hell. _No, not out here too_. This was the last thing the tension of their infatuation hadn't ruined. He couldn't deal with it. Their friendship was officially over, reduced to the torment of tiptoeing around each other when they were together or feeling even worse when they stayed apart.

"Shit," Raphael said aloud, pinching between his eyes. Apparently Casey had been talking while he was a million miles away. His cuss made Casey stop mid-sentence.

"Raph? Are you alright? You didn't get hurt did you?" Casey's eyes widened in concern. Raphael looked like he was in pain. It wasn't unusual for him not to notice an injury until after the fact. He looked like he may even be in shock. "Where? Where are you hurt?"

Raphael looked dumbfounded, unable to answer as Casey pawed at his shoulders, growing more frantic and convinced that those idiots had managed to stab him or something. When Casey finally moved his arm and started running his hands down his side and the vulnerable space between his shell and plastron, he snapped out of it. He inhaled sharply and pulled Casey's hand away.

"Stop, I'm not hurt."

Casey eyed him suspiciously. Raphael pulled him closer and his heart started to pound at a painful pace. Before he could change his mind Raphael leaned in and claimed Casey's lips. That addictive, electrifying spark rekindled instantly at the contact.

Casey was the first to back off. "Raph?" It was all he could manage as his head swam with confusion and excitement.

"Being apart doesn't work. Being friends doesn't work. This seems to work," Raphael said simply.

"For now…" Casey clarified.

"Definitely for now. I don't know about after," Raphael said honestly.

Casey considered what an emotional gamble he would be taking to accept, but Raphael was right. It was impossible to go back to being best bros the way things stood at the moment. The past few days had been a tormenting exercise in restraint. That just wasn't his style. Besides, Raph was nuzzling in under his ear, tugging the mask off and making it impossible to think properly. Leonardo had been right. He didn't give a damn about the consequences.

"I can't believe you thought those morons managed to stab me," Raphael said in a gravelly voice, right by Casey's ear. "I'm insulted."

"Let me find us a _real_ fight," Casey said with a smile. Their down time between busting up bad guys was going to be so much more entertaining.


	20. Chapter 20

April eyed Casey suspiciously as they neared the lair together. He was downright chipper for someone who had returned to the house at a late hour, downed about five headache pills and collapsed into bed. She was surprised to see him up in the morning fully dressed and ready to accompany her for her morning walk to the lair. Casey insisted he just wanted to make sure he didn't sleep through the Hamato clan meeting which Splinter and Donatello had set for after training. He had even brushed his hair, which was an accomplishment in and of itself considering that his right hand was swollen to almost comical proportions.

They entered the kitchen where the guys were cleaning up after their breakfast mess. All became clear to April as soon as Raphael saw Casey was there with her. His sour face lit up like a Christmas tree at Casey's unexpected presence. April's stomach dropped like a stone. _No. Freaking. Way._

"Hey Case, holy shit look at that hand!" Raphael exclaimed, eyes going wide. "Mikey, ice me."

Without missing a beat Michelangelo yelled, "Ice Cream Kitty, gimme me some ice!" He opened the freezer door and caught the blue ice pack that was chucked out at him. He tossed it back over his shoulder without even looking. "Who's a good little kitty?" he cooed. It meowed back at him before he closed the door and resumed putting away dishes.

Raphael sat at the table with Casey, examining his hand. Casey was practically glowing under his gentle fussing. April recalled how over the last few days they had been jumpy and tense around each other. It had made being in the same room with them painfully awkward. Now they were all lingering touches and silly smiles and she couldn't decide which was worse. As if taking April's cue as she stared unbelieving at the pair, the others quieted down and watched their interaction. Raph and Casey carried on like they were the only people in the room.

"You can't bare-knuckle punch someone in the face," Raphael was saying, his voice edged with amusement. Casey's hurt hand was resting on Raphael's large green palm. Raph's other hand held the ice pack atop the swollen knuckles. "Open hand strike with the heel of your hand."

"I know, I know," Casey replied, grinning ear to ear and leaning in towards Raphael. "But that guy really needed a face punch," he said in a low voice. They chuckled together as if sharing an inside joke. Casey's face was flushed and red, and April had never seen a smile come so easily to Raphael. Especially in the morning.

She tried to find her voice but didn't know what to say, so she eyed the others. Donnie looked like he had just been punched. Leo had his game face on, which meant he was going to lay into Raph any second. Mikey perched himself up on top of the counter to watch the show with a knowing smile.

"You guys are about as subtle as a Mac truck," Leonardo stated.

Raphael and Casey started a bit, looking surprised that everyone was still there and that they seemed to be the center of attention.

"When I reminded you that your actions have consequences last night I didn't expect you to immediately go out and ignore me," Leonardo blustered.

"Last night? How long have you known about this, Leo?" Donatello asked, sounding like he had been betrayed.

"What I do is none of your business," Raphael growled at both of them.

"It is when you two are constantly going between being friends and avoiding each other, not to mention your moody rampages we all have to deal with. The entire team is affected," Leonardo said, as if it should have been obvious.

"You should be happy we finally settled things, then," Raphael said, eyes narrowed.

"Settled? How is becoming a temporary couple with someone who isn't even in their right body settled? Did you even talk to April first?" Leo yelled.

"I've actually known all about this for a couple weeks," April sighed. "I thought you had decided to stay friends?"

"It's as settled as we could get, Leo," Raphael snapped back. He was embarrassed by how obvious he had been in front of them but he had never been any good at hiding his feelings.

"Weeks?" Donatello said in small voice.

"Neither of us wanted this to happen, it just did," Casey spoke up. "Yelling at us isn't going to change anything."

April's head was spinning as she tried to follow the argument and figure out how she should handle Raphael actually deciding to be with Casey.

"You are even worse than Raph!" Leonardo scolded Casey. "That's not even your body. You're not even a woman at all. You guys won't be able to look at each other after you get switched back."

"I can still make my own damned decisions. I haven't told April how to live her life," Casey replied defensively as Raphael bared his teeth at Leo and clenched his fists.

"Casey, last I heard you had kissed a few times and it was over," April said, starting to panic. "There are some decisions you really _don't_ have the right to make at the moment."

Donatello finally snapped and joined in the steadily declining and dizzying conversation. "You kissed her?!" He moved towards Raphael and Raphael jumped up, ready.

Casey scooted out from between them just in case but April took Donatello by the arm before he could close the distance.

"Don't you _dare_ touch her again," Donatello warned, voice low.

"Or what?" Raphael goaded.

Donatello growled and April tightened her grip on his arm. "That is up to me! You don't own rights to that body just because we'll be together if you switch us back," she said, prompting a conflicted glance from Donatello.

Leonardo looked over at Donatello and April in shock. "You too? _No wonder_ all of you have been acting insane! I give up!" He threw his arms up for effect.

"Raph, Casey and I will sort this out," April said firmly. "No one else gets a say. It's my body and their feelings we're talking about."

"Their feelings are just hormones and they'll be over it when I switch Casey back," Donatello said stubbornly, cementing in his mind that failure to put them back was not an option.

"Actually my feelings won't change," Casey pointed out. "But thank you for taking them into such careful consideration," he added dryly.

"What?" Don and Leo were lost.

April rolled her eyes. "He's gay."

Donatello stared off into space for a second and cocked his head thoughtfully. Then, "oh, that makes so much sense now that I think about it."

Leonardo looked like he was going to explode. "That's even worse, Raph! How selfish can you be? Why would you _do_ that to him?"

Raphael snarled and tensed in preparation to punch Leo and everyone looked about ready to throw down and start a Hamato family brawl right there in the kitchen.

Splinter's jade cane hitting the floor startled all of them. "What is going on out here? Is this how I've taught you to work out your problems?" he demanded. April suddenly pitied Splinter and wondered how he found the inner strength not to strangle his boys on a weekly basis.

"No, sensei," all four brothers said together, hanging their heads in various levels of shame. Well besides Michelangelo, who was still sitting on the counter and couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. It was all so obvious. He had called Raph and Casey becoming a couple since the night Raph had helplessly watched Casey skate around their kitchen for the first time over a month ago. In fact, Leo owed him $20, but now probably wasn't the time to remind him.

Splinter twitched his whiskers in agitation. "April, perhaps I will give you a private lesson later today. I feel like my sons need to work through some of this extra energy and frustration. Then we will have our family meeting, and there will be _none of this behavior_."

"Hai, sensei," she said, letting go of Donatello's tensed arm.

"Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, in the dojo. Now!"

They obeyed without hesitation.

"I would like to point out that I had absolutely no part in this argument," Michelangelo said to Splinter on his way by.

"Raphael, join us when April has finished speaking with you." With that he turned tail and left.

April blanched. Splinter had heard everything.

"Friggin' Leo," Raphael huffed, sitting on a chair beside Casey.

April crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at them angrily. "You two are lucky I know how hard you've been trying to avoid this situation, or I would be agreeing with Leo. I am willing to give you leeway. I understand, I _really_ do, but until we know for a fact that we are stuck like this forever, I have the right to set boundaries for my body. Agreed?"

"Agreed," answered Casey humbly. Raphael practically vibrated with the need to unleash violence next to him but he was paying attention.

April collected her thoughts, silently wishing Casey could have crushed on Leo or even Mikey instead. She took a deep breath. "I know neither of you are known for your patience or self control, but I am trusting you _as my friends_. I don't have to do this. I could forbid any physical contact. Splinter and your brothers could enforce it. Instead all I am telling you is nothing below the belt and clothes never come off. _Ever._ I will fully disown both of you if you cross that line," she said with conviction.

They both agreed to her terms and looked like they really meant it.

"Oh, and try to keep PDA to a minimum around here. Raph, you better get going." She grinned. "If I'm not even allowed in there I imagine Sensei is going to be spectacularly tough on you. Good luck."

Raphael jumped up. "Wish Leo luck, that self-righteous bastard," he muttered as he made his way to the dojo.

**oooooooo**

April and Casey sat around the sunken living room while the turtles trained, watching TV and chatting. Splinter joined them first, a pleased look on his face. April went over to sit by him, feeling like she needed to make some amends.

"I am sorry for the commotion we brought with us this morning, Sensei," she said.

Splinters hands closed around hers and one side of his mouth quirked up. "You certainly help keep our lives interesting, but we wouldn't have it any other way."

She smiled and settled in beside him, waiting for the brothers.

Slowly the guys dragged themselves from the showers and took their places, limbs leaden. They all had at least one or two new bruises. None of them had even had the energy to replace their wrappings or padding.

_No chance of any more fights breaking out today_, April thought.

Donatello readied himself, mind still sharp despite his aching muscles and tired body. "I called the family meeting today to tell you that April and I have finished going over all the Kraang files and it's time to share. First, Plan 10. Without that file I never would have been able to replicate the Neuro-Switcher. I have some scrap, I have some Kraang tech, I have small Kraang power cells from the guns and I have very vague blueprints on how to build it. Which is enough. I can do it."

Donatello looked over his clan, who seemed very pleased that their TCRI raid had paid off finally and things could be put back to normal. He felt badly that the rest of the news was going to deflate that delicate mood. "There's a catch." All eyes were on him. "I need an object that, roughly translated, means the Orb of Consciousness. They are extremely rare alien artifacts. Without an Orb, the machine will not work. It is the vessel that holds the memories and consciousness together cohesively during the transfer. The Kraang only possess one and there's a chance that they have already returned it to their home dimension. If it is still on Earth at all, it will be in the Technodrome."

Donatello watched the expressions around him change with realization of the high risk they would need to take for low odds.

"Then there is the invasion. They are planning something similar to last time, except they won't only have one large portal. They plan on using multiple portable portals all over the city at the same time. We won't be able to fight them all at once. They plan on bringing over more Kraang Walkers and other weapons and destroying the city. Their army is vast. I don't think we can actually stop it from happening, but I think we can delay it. If we do, it will give us time to build up an arsenal, to finish the Turtle Mech and maybe even collect a few allies. At least then we will have a fighting chance."

Leonardo rubbed his face, feeling overwhelmed. "So we have to go to back into the Technodrome."

"Yes."

"What do we need to accomplish while we are there?" Leo asked wearily.

"I think the best way to delay the invasion is to find the place they store their portals and destroy as many as we can. Maybe damage the actual structure of the dome itself to cause some flooding to key points. Then hunt down the Orb and smuggle it out," answered Donatello.

"We will have to be very fast," Leonardo said quietly, thinking out loud. "Maybe even split into two teams of two to save time."

"You mean three," April corrected.

"No, I mean two. You and Casey aren't coming."

"Like hell we're not," Casey piped up.

"Leo, we can't let you go in there alone," April argued.

"What if something happens to one of you? Then hunting for the Orb will all be for nothing," Leo pointed out.

April stopped to consider the gravity of what Leo had just said. He meant if one of them died, there would be no switch. Whoever was left would be forever in the wrong body. They were listed as 'Kill on Sight' by the Kraang. It didn't seem so cool anymore to be considered terrorists and war criminals.

April got up and walked over to Casey, looking herself over before making her decision. "Casey, if you want to go on this mission I accept all risks to my body including injury or death."

He smiled at her even as Donatello protested in the background. "Ditto, Red. Face it guys, you're gonna need all the help you can get. This is our fight, too."

"You know we'll just come along anyway," April said with a lopsided grin.

"You are the craziest humans ever," Leonardo smiled. "Don, what do we know about the Technodrome?"

"I have detailed drawings that are to scale from the files we took, but there are multiple levels and nothing is actually labeled."

"So we have no idea where to find anything?"

"We don't," Donatello replied, "but he does." He pointed at Raphael.

"What? No I don't," Raphael said.

"You were in the body of a Kraang that lived there. They share a collective consciousness and you were exposed to that. It's in your head, somewhere," assured Donatello.

Raphael let out a long breath. He was too tired to deal with the events of the day and it was barely lunch time. "Great. Rare alien artifacts, invasion we can't stop, digging around in my brain, suicide mission into the Technodrome…anything else we should discuss before we call this meeting to an end and I go for a nap?"

Everyone looked around and seemed satisfied that they all had enough to deal with, except Michelangelo. He raised his hand. "I have a question."

"Yes, Michelangelo," Splinter acknowledged, his heart heavy with worry for his family.

"How are we going to keep that Kraang sea monster from humping our Turtle Sub again?" he asked, breaking the tension and sending them all into hysterics.


	21. Chapter 21

Raphael relaxed fully, his body still too exhausted from their grueling morning workout to fidget. Splinter had decided that hypnosis would be the quickest way to access what they needed in Raphael's subconscious. They sat in the dojo together in front of the tree, Raphael listening to the low murmuring voice of his Sensei until he lost himself.

Splinter regressed him back to when he had switched bodies, asking him questions about his surroundings. Then he asked Raphael to dig deeper, to remember the mundane daily routine of the Technodrome and it's layout. It took some time but Raphael tapped into the collective consciousness that he had stored away deep within his mind. Having had no personal experience to speak from with that information, he switched to the dispassionate third person speech of the Kraang to answer Splinter's questions.

It shot a cool chill all the way down Splinter's spine to the tip his tail. When he had first seen Raphael in that state, tied up and inhabited by one of those sinister little creatures, he had feared his son would be forever lost to him. Unnerved, he brought Raphael out of the trance, asking him to carry over all memories about the Technodrome back with him to his conscious mind.

Raphael came to holding his father's hands. He had a sick, dizzy feeling in his stomach and a slight headache.

"Did it work?" Raphael asked.

"I believe so," Splinter answered, relief coursing through him. "Go to your brothers, look through the maps. It should all come to you."

"Hai, Sensei."

Raphael padded down the hall and into the common area, feeling jittery. Michelangelo, Casey and April were playing Risk in the pit.

"Hah!" Casey yelled. "I've got all of your countries now. I _own_ you!"

"Raaaph, your girlfriend's evil," whined Michelangelo. "April, avenge the great empire of Miketopia."

Raphael rolled his eyes as the three of them laughed.

April's phone rang and she shushed them, passing the phone to Casey. "Mr Murakami? Oh. Sure I can come by and pick it up. Might as well do up six orders of pizza gyoza. Thanks." He hung up and passed the phone back to April. "Mr Murakami said someone left a message there for you guys."

"It might be a trap," Raphael said worriedly.

"He didn't use any of the code words," Casey answered.

"Mikey, wanna shadow us?" April asked.

"Yes! Can I carry the food home?"

"No way, you'll eat it all on the way back."

Michelangelo made a face to show how hurt he was that she would ever suspect something so terrible from him. Then they both started giggling and headed out.

Casey went to Raphael, sensing his mood. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just became one with the universe or something and I need to shake it off," he answered. "Don and Leo in the lab or the garage?"

"Lab." Casey shot him a coy smile before quickly raising up on his toes to plant a solid kiss on his mouth, doing nothing to help steady Raphael's dizziness. "See you later."

Then Casey had whirled away, running off to catch up with April and Michelangelo. Raphael shook his head and tried to get it together, reminding himself not to be grinning like an idiot when he joined Leo and Don in the lab.

"I think I can label your drawings," Raphael said, trying to make a peace offering.

Donatello silently spread out the specs for the Technodrome, and the more Raphael wrote and talked about it, the more he remembered. They asked him questions and the three of them managed to have a civil conversation about the best ways to destroy their enemy. Eventually the others returned and the irresistible scent of pizza gyoza pulled them into the common area. The six of them talked and laughed and watched a movie, the tension between brothers finally abating.

When Leonardo got up to go to the kitchen April followed him, making sure the others were too engrossed with the movie to interrupt them.

"Leo?" she said quietly.

He gave her a sideways glance as he poured a glass of water for himself.

"This was left at Murakami's for you." She pulled a small, plain white envelope out from her jeans pocket.

"How do you know it's for me?" he asked. She turned it over. It was sealed with the symbol for the Foot in red wax.

Leonardo's eyes widened. "Thank you for your discretion." He said it almost formally, and April had to stifle back a giggle.

"No problem. Be careful, okay?" He gave her a silent nod, checking on his brothers positions in the living room. "Oh, and Leo? I know this morning was a giant mess, but it was really sweet of you to defend me. Thanks."

He smiled and retreated from the kitchen, hands shaking as he sought the privacy of the dojo. He opened the envelope and read the few words scrawled across the small page of stationary. _**Meet me at the church, 1am. Alone.**_

**ooooooo**

Leonardo scaled the chapel and carefully navigated the sharp peaks. There was no one on the roof. He glanced over to the nearby docks and shuddered as he remembered how Rahzar had so easily snuck up on all of them. He remained calm, sweeping the roof for any sign of a trap. Nothing. Then he inspected the streets below, the closest buildings, the parking lot. He crouched down and let out a long breath. In the far back corner of the parking lot, almost completely cloaked in the darkness, a familiar white cargo van was parked.

His heart sped up, unsure whether to be excited or terrified. He took a deep breath and plunged back down into the darkness, landing silently on the concrete. He approached the van slowly and cautiously, remaining hidden in the shadows. He heard Karai sigh and shift her weight. She was perched on top of the van.

"I know you're there, Leonardo. I'm alone."

Suddenly he was there beside the van, looking up at her indignantly. "You heard me?"

"No. It's 1:06 and you're never late."

He snorted back a laugh. He could barely make out her black-clad form against the shadow, only her Cheshire cat smile and the glint of her earrings giving her away. His face turned serious, remembering her hurtful words that had felt like a cold knife in his chest.

"What do you want, Karai?"

"What do _you_ want?" she asked, her voice lilting playfully.

"I want us all to live through my next mission," he answered solemnly.

"Stopping the invasion?"

"No," he said, smiling at the sheer impossibility of his task. "We can't stop it. We are going to delay it. We are going to march into their underwater lair, wreck their portals, steal a priceless alien artifact that may or may not even be there, then march right back out. Easy, right? Are you going to go warn them now?"

"No. Catch." Metal glinted as it flew through the air towards him and he caught it one-handed. Keys. "I brought you a present. Unwrap it."

Leonardo went to the back of the van and unlocked the door, half expecting Fish Face to jump out and bite him as soon as he opened it. Instead he found a wooden crate and stacked rows of black rectangular bars with military stamps. "What…what is this?" he asked.

She jumped down beside him and grinned. "Military grade C-4," she said with a shrug, feigning boredom.

"Where did you get all this?" he asked in wonderment. His self-defeated angst was quickly melting away.

"I bought it. With my own money and everything. It's completely on the up and up. I mean, if you don't count that it came from a black market weapon's dealer."

"This…this is _amazing_!" Leonardo exclaimed, a huge grin breaking out over his face.

She had never seen anyone look so happy in her life. "Boys and their high explosives," she said dryly, smirking.

He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders and looked straight into her startled eyes. "Thank you," he said as he pulled her in and hugged her, hoping she wouldn't stab him in the throat. Then his brow furrowed and he pulled away, looking at her face again. "What happened?"

Karai pulled away from his touch and crossed her arms over her chest defensively, not remembering the last time anyone had hugged her. He kept staring and she self-consciously ran her fingertips over the bruises she sported along the left side of her jaw.

"Who did that to you?" he asked, his voice dark suddenly.

"_You_ did," she snapped. "What do you think happens to me when I fail my missions? When you steal my entire weapons shipment? When I let you go…"

"Don't put that on me! You could leave, be with your real clan. Help us fight the Kraang."

She gestured to her gift. "This is me helping you fight the Kraang. I cannot leave the Foot."

Leonardo sighed and rubbed his face, leaning back against the van.

"What is wrong with you today?" Karai asked curiously. "You're not usually so candid. You are too busy trying to show off or convince me that you are a better ninja."

"I guess the high odds of immanent death bring it out in me. That and my brothers are driving me nuts," he admitted.

"I can kill one or two of them for you if you like," she offered with a mischievous smile.

"That's not even funny," he huffed into his palm, trying to smother a morbid laugh. He shook his head and closed the white doors.

"Keep it," she said, gesturing to the vehicle.

"I really do appreciate this, Karai," he said, suddenly shy and nervous, eyes everywhere but on her. "Sorry I hugged you."

A predatory smile spread slowly across Karai's lips. "You better be," she said in a low voice, stepping up to him.

His blue eyes widened in panic and his shell clunked against the van. She took hold of the top ridge of his plastron and pulled him into her, his lips trying to form words even as hers covered them. He gave in and decided he must be dreaming; that or Karai really _had_ lured him there to kill him. She was rough, bullying his lips into whatever position she wished, then nipping lightly with her teeth before pulling away. He waited for the knife to come, didn't even care at that moment he was so elated.

"Don't die, freak," she said tauntingly.

The next second he was alone, panting against a van full of explosives in a church parking lot. He could only commend her on her 'ninja vanish' technique. Or maybe he had hyperventilated and lost consciousness briefly. Either way he was impressed.

**ooooooo**

"Donnie, wake up."

Donatello slowly regained awareness as one of his brothers shook him gently and whispered urgently near his ear. "_Don_."

"Leo?" he asked groggily.

"Shh. Get up, come with me. It's Christmas morning, brother," he said excitedly.

Donatello squinted into the dark, trying to figure out if Leonardo was sleep walking. He sat up and Leonardo tugged at his arm. "What are you doing?" he asked, finally getting up and letting Leo lead him out towards the tunnels. Leonardo was brimming with manic energy, a huge smile on his face. "Were you drugged?"

"Quiet, just follow me. Garage. Trust me."

By now Donatello was starting to wake up, the two of them navigating the wrecked tracks. His curiosity was peaked. Leonardo wasn't one for late night conspiracies. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the white cargo van that they had stolen and returned to the Foot. "What did you do?"

"Karai asked me to meet her tonight. She said she wanted to help but couldn't leave the Foot so she gave this to us."

Donatello was having a hard time following his giddy brother. "A crappy van?"

"Look inside. Donnie, I think she likes me. She could have killed me like, ten times tonight and she didn't even try."

Donatello quirked an eye ridge up. "Then it must be true love," he said sarcastically. Except Leonardo couldn't stop smiling and was getting impatient for him to check the cargo. He wondered if he would be able to get Leo to sit still long enough to take blood from him and check for foreign substances. Then he opened the doors and saw the beautiful sight of enough plastic explosives to level a city block. "Oh. Oh, my," he said appreciatively. It really was Christmas in July. "This changes everything."

Leonardo smiled his I-told-you-so smile. "I have a bold and daring plan."


	22. Chapter 22

"Are you crazy?" Raphael yelled as he paced up and down the length of the kitchen.

Leonardo regarded him coolly. "If it had been anyone other than Karai you would be fine with it."

It was way too early in the morning for Raphael to deal with this shit. Anger rumbled through him like thunder and he tried in vain to steady his breathing. He couldn't believe his brother would take such a gamble. It turned his stomach to ice to think of what kind of ambush might have waiting for Leo while the rest of them slept, clueless.

Of course Michelangelo was ecstatic at the prospect of blowing more stuff up and Donatello had already started geeking out and modifying the detonators, which just pissed Raphael off more. Even worse was Splinter and the spark of hope in his eyes that his daughter really _was_ in there somewhere. It was more than Raphael could bear. He just couldn't bring himself to trust Karai or shake the deep-seated instinctual certainty that some day, she would be Leonardo's undoing.

Donatello rubbed eyes and yawned. "If it makes you feel any better, I swept the entire van for bugs and tracking devices. I also tested random samples of the bars and they are exactly what they appear to be."

"Nothing is what it appears to be with Karai," Raphael insisted. "The Foot don't give gifts. There is going to be a price. Ever wonder what favor they might ask you for in return?"

"Karai isn't _the_ Foot," Leonardo said, eyes narrowing. "If Shredder still has ties with the Kraang she took a huge risk helping us."

"Kind of like the huge risk that she might have been luring you into a trap? I thought you were supposed to have better judgment than that," Raphael snapped.

"How can you even talk to me about good judgment with a straight face?" Leonardo shook his head in disbelief.

"Speaking of which, you owe me twenty bucks, bro," Michelangelo reminded Leonardo as he cooked breakfast.

Leonardo rolled his eyes. "Last time I bet for Raph using some sense."

"You had a _bet _going on me?" Raphael sputtered.

"_Enough_," Splinter said firmly, eyes closed and ears back. "You have each had your say. No need to reduce yourselves to petty squabbling. Raphael, what has been done is done. Leonardo is safe and we should all be thankful for that. Let us focus and use this weapon to our advantage."

Splinter took a moment before pinning Leonardo where he stood with a disappointed glare. "Leonardo, if I ever hear of you sneaking out again or putting yourself purposely into such a vulnerable position, you will lose _all_ of your considerable freedoms. Is that clear?"

Leonardo's eyes widened. "Hai, Sensei."

Raphael smirked and managed to calm his nerves, taking his place at the table as Mikey served up.

Splinter had called off training for that morning and the next. He had Donatello text April to let her know that their morning would be spent going over their mission instead. Splinter usually gave his boys a day or two off before a planned attack They were not always fresh and prepared when confronted with a heavy battle, but it was a luxury he would give his sons whenever he could. They knew this and kept glancing over at the entrance, waiting anxiously for April and Casey so they could get all the facts.

When they finally arrived and everyone assembled in the living room, Donatello took an extra few minutes to gather his thoughts. His mind was growing fuzzy after staying up all night with Leonardo, who still seemed to be running on the fumes of whatever high Karai had left him in. Donatello downed his coffee and hoped it would get him through the next hour coherently before retrieving the diagrams of the Technodrome from his lab.

Donatello stopped, still partly in the hallway holding the maps, and took the opportunity to watch his family and friends unnoticed. Their clan would really make a fascinating social science study.

Michelangelo was making some joke to Leo, who was trying to stay stoic but finally cracked a smile. Raphael and Casey had obviously just had a small battle over the patched bean bag chair, as they were both half on it and pushing each other with big grins on her faces. They finally settled on sharing, with Casey having to hook a leg around Raphael's to keep from tipping off. Jealousy flared bright within Donatello but extinguished itself almost as quickly. It was partly a knee-jerk reaction to seeing her form hanging off of Raphael, but there was more to it than that. He wished he could have been that at ease with April before. They made it look so easy and natural. He let his gaze wander back to Leonardo, who was giving Raph and Casey a disapproving look. When Raphael noticed he tensed and stared Leonardo down, challenging him to say something. Leo let it go because April was smiling and laughing at them. Raphael slowly relaxed again. Splinter sat silently with the patience of a saint.

Then April noticed him standing off to the side and her eyes lit up, making Donatello's heart clench. She smiled and patted the empty space beside her on the couch and he was struck by the certainty that he belonged there, by her side. No matter what happened, he knew that he would always be devoted to her in some way.

He must have been staring and lost in his thoughts for a few minutes, because they were all looking at him now, waiting for him so Leo could go over the plan. He crossed the distance quickly and set himself down next to April with a shy smile before spreading the papers out across the coffee table.

The invasion was to happen in a matter of days, and it was confirmed that they would be going back to the Technodrome the following night. The only way to delay the upcoming attack was to divert their attention with an immediate problem that could not be ignored and would take time to resolve. Leonardo confidently covered everyone's role, making it sound easy and perfectly reasonable. Donatello fielded questions about the explosives and assured Raphael that C-4 was much more stable than the grenades he had almost killed himself with in the elevator shaft.

**ooooooo**

April entered the lair for the second time that day in the early evening, leaning over the back of the couch and watching silently as Michelangelo played some fantasy based game on Donatello's laptop. She stifled a giggle in spite of the anxiety that had been eating away at her all day as she read the '**Mikey get off my computer**' label stickered across the frame just above the screen.

"Hey, where is everyone?" she asked.

"Hey, April. Leo is in the garage with Casey making sure he knows exactly how to set the charges. Casey is pretty stoked. Raph is with them, probably hovering around pretending he's not freaking out about it. Donnie is having a nap." Michelangelo went silent again as his character killed a giant orc creature. "Don wanted me to wake him up half an hour ago, but I'm going to level up soon and he'll kick me off his laptop. Maybe you could go? I'll be done by the time he drags his shell down here."

She glanced up at the stairway to the second level where their rooms were. "Sure, I guess so."

When April reached the top of the staircase she found the entrances to each of the four bedrooms. Two had their doors closed, one of which was obviously Raphael's. His door looked like it had been battered and patched back together with 'Keep out' signs. She opened the second door and peeked in. Donatello was a mess of long, strewn limbs and blanket. She entered, leaving the door slightly ajar for a sliver of light in the otherwise pitch dark room.

She looked around and smiled. His room was much like his lab, with small piles of ordered chaos along every desk and shelf.

"Donnie?" she called. Nothing. "_Don_," she said in a louder, sharper tone. Nothing.

Frowning, she inched closer to his bed. He was on his back, body covered by a blanket but arms and legs flung out from under it in all directions. He had removed his gear and she fought the urge to stroke his bare face. He looked so vulnerable but she was hesitant to touch him. They were all known to wake up kicking or punching now and then. She called his name again to no avail. Growing impatient, she roughly shook the arm that dangled off the bed before quickly backing out of range. He took a deep breath and drew his arm back, draping it over his chest.

"Donnie, you awake?"

He grunted noncommittally and scooted onto his side, making room for her to sit. Her heart rate immediately picked up a few notches. She sat down with her back to him, yipping in surprise as she sunk deep into the mattress and tipped back against his plastron and startling Donatello into semi-awareness.

"Sorry, should have warned you," he mumbled.

Of course it made sense that their mattresses were lined with a thick layer of foam. They wouldn't be able to sleep on their backs or sides otherwise. "You're a really sound sleeper," she noted.

"Have to be with three brothers." He let his eyes crack open and found even the small amount of light offensive.

April shifted her weight the rest of the way back to lean on him and sighed heavily. Donatello sensed that something was bothering her and waited to see if she wanted to talk. He rested a hand over her arm to let her know he was listening, but her prolonged silence and warmth started to lull him back towards sleep.

"Are you scared?" she asked finally. His hand twitched slightly on her forearm at the sound of her voice.

"Of course," he answered, trying to hold back a yawn. "Who wouldn't be?"

"I spent the day with my dad. Just in case…"

Donatello felt a cold sliver lance through his sleepy fog. She was trying to put on a brave front but she had twice come seconds away from death under Kraang Prime. It was almost certain that the terrifying alien leader was residing within the Technodrome. He tugged her arm gently, inviting her to lay down. Once she understood she sunk down beside him along his plastron, her forehead resting on his chest, head tucked under his chin. He brought his arm down to rest on her back, wrapping her up in the blanket with him. She squirmed briefly until she somehow found a comfortable position to cuddle against him.

"I won't let anything happen to you," he told her.

Slowly Donatello felt her relax in his arms. He started to get drowsy again, growing accustomed to the strange sensation of sharing his personal space so intimately and taking comfort from it as well. He closed his eyes and let his thumb trace lazy circles into her back. He nuzzled into her black hair, his senses flooded with the scent of vanilla. Casey's natural scent had dissipated, smothered and canceled out by Don's own musk under his blanket. The illusion of it really being her was convincing enough to start a chain reaction in his body that he tried to quell. Despite being at rest, he felt like he had just come out of a one on one battle with the Shredder.

April had never felt safer in her life than she did pressed against muscle and the hard surface of Donatello's chest. She knew he would risk his life for her as surely as she would for him. That was what worried her most of all. The thought that maybe one of them might not make it back, the guilt the one who did would carry with them forever; it was unbearable. She just wanted to hide here with him. She suspected he had drifted off again in their stillness until his body seemed to slowly tense up around her. April felt his heart pick up it's pace and begin beating like a drum even through his plastron. His long steady breaths had become shallow. Slowly she moved so she was propped up on an elbow and looking down at him, worried he might be having a nightmare.

The hand resting on April's back started to caress her again in deliberate movements, making her whole body tingle with the realization that he wasn't asleep. _Is he nervous? Excited?_ she wondered, feeling a hot surge of pressure in her chest. She reached out and gave in to her earlier temptation to touch his face, expecting him to flinch away. Instead he pulled her in a little closer, eyes never opening, allowing her featherlight touches. Her hand glided a bit more confidently up his cheek and over the area his mask usually covered. She stroked his temple with her thumb and his other hand crept up to her hip. She felt him hold her a little tighter and before she could stop herself April shifted and brought her lips to the side of his throat, the skin soft and smooth and warm.

Donatello took in a sharp breath. He hadn't been expecting that at all. Her mouth started wandering up his neck, tracing a heated path up to his jaw. He felt a vibration deep in his chest before it forced its way up and out, emitting a sound halfway between a purr and a moan. He was instantly embarrassed by how animalistic he sounded, yet April clutched him tighter and he felt the wet softness of her tongue darting out across his throat.

He murmured her name huskily, not believing what was happening. April kissing him in his bed? It was the stuff of dreams, not reality. Except his reality was that he was entertaining an illusion; a scenario he had desperately wanted for so long. Her lips finally found his and he kept his eyes shut, letting himself get lost in the sensation. He felt like an electric charge had shot through his body, searing his neural pathways into a blinding white burst behind his eyes. His mind stilled. For once there were no thoughts, worries, theories or insecurities clamoring around his brain. There was only April, trembling slightly in his arms as their mouths moved together, testing every angle to see how they best fit together. Slowly their explorations deepened into a dizzying sweetness, then back to playful and teasing brushes. Gradually they pulled away from each other, breathless and flushed with heat.

"Wow, Donnie, that was some first kiss," April said, cringing to herself. Her voice was so deep and out of place.

At the sound of it the illusion shattered and Donatello sat up. She couldn't look him in the eye and he realized he needed to say something, make her understand that he regretted nothing. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, feet resting on the floor and looked as if she might bolt from the room. He put a hand over hers and smiled when she finally glanced over her shoulder. "That was amazing," he said honestly.

Relief flooded through April and they both sat in silence, calming their breaths and letting the heat dissipate. She cleared her throat and smiled. "So what's on the agenda for tonight? Anything you need help with?"

"I could definitely use a pair of normal sized hands to help finish the modifications to the detonators."

"Deal, as long you have dinner before you start working." April drifted off the bed and towards the door, hardly feeling her feet touch the ground. Donatello quickly replaced his mask and followed, heading to the kitchen once they were downstairs to rummage through the fridge.

April plunked down on the couch with Michelangelo. He had returned Donatello's laptop to wherever he had swiped it from and was reading a comic.

Michelangelo hid his expression behind the pages. Apparently things had gone well. She smelled more like Donatello than Casey, but hey, she had kept Don busy long enough to level up his character and they both looked happy.

Casey and Raphael returned from the garage, trailed by Leonardo. Casey took off to change into his vigilante gear. Raphael gave Donatello a sidelong glance as he got himself a drink in the kitchen but said nothing.

Leonardo went by and couldn't resist, overtired and feeling silly. "That vanilla shampoo is really doing wonders for your hair," he quipped.

Raphael sent a spray of water from his mouth as he lost the battle not to laugh. Donatello paused, then pretended to tussle his locks with one hand and asked, "You think so?"

They snickered among themselves and April slouched down into the couch, shooting Mikey a horrified look.

"Hard to keep secrets in this family," Michelangelo joked with a smile. Her expression didn't change. "Hey, relax, don't be embarrassed. He's not." Michelangelo indicated towards Donatello with his eyes and a tilt of his head. And he wasn't. He had a slight blush on his cheeks but the three of them were laughing in the kitchen together. April's heart swelled. They faced so many challenging and strange situations in their lives and could often be at odds with one another, but under it all they were still brothers and only wanted to see each other safe and happy.

"Thanks," April said softly to Michelangelo. "But you're still a manipulative little sneak," she added.


	23. Chapter 23

The pre-mission tension and anxiety slowly dissipated as they took turns pedaling themselves into near-exhaustion three at a time. Raphael, Casey and Michelangelo started their set at the halfway point. April sat heavily on the cool metal floor, leaning against the wall. Leonardo took over periscope duty and Donatello slouched by a round window with a giant sigh. Their panting and groaning sounded fairly obscene in the small, confined space, but no one had the energy to crack a joke about it.

"Donnie, are you sure we can't switch the engines on just for a little while?" Michelangelo complained after about five minutes of hard pedaling. "We're all gonna need a nap before we can fight."

Donatello waved him off, keeping an eye out for the sea creature. "We need to conserve all of the energy for our exit. Trust me."

Michelangelo sighed. "Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Do you see the monster yet?"

"No," Donatello answered, growing impatient.

"I feel kind of bad for it. It must be so lonely out here, and we totally broke it's heart," Michelangelo said, breathing heavily.

"Save your breath and shut it, Mikey," Raphael grumbled.

"Guys, I just saw it," Leonardo said, his body tensing up. He swerved the periscope around, trying to follow it, but it moved too quickly. "Donnie, battle station."

Donatello was already over the controls as Leonardo said it. "Where?"

"I lost it," Leonardo said quietly, trying in vain to spot it again.

The radar blipped to life. "It's right under us!" Donatello cried.

They felt a thump underfoot and the three powering the sub started pedaling double time. Then the window directly next to Michelangelo's head filled with a giant, leering eye.

"Ah, shoot it!" Michelangelo yelled, his earlier compassion forgotten.

"It's too close to us!" Donatello called back. "Banking left, now." He hauled the controls left, turning sharply enough to throw all of them off balance. They pulled out diagonally from the monster and Donatello fired. "Firing torpedo one!" The creature made an angry noise and attacked the underwater craft. "Missed. It's so fast!"

Another thump and the submarine jerked to the right, knocking everyone over. April struggled back to her knees to check out the window in time to see the long tail zip past.

"Is this thing ever pissed at us!" Casey exclaimed, trying to get back into his seat.

They were left adrift in silence for a moment, everyone's adrenaline ramped up. Leonardo yelled just as it appeared on the radar screen again. "It's charging us head on!"

"Hah! Perfect," Donatello said excitedly. "Firing torpedo two!"

The whole structure vibrated as the tremor of the hit reverberated back. The creature let out a high pitched squealing sound and spooked, disappearing in seconds. The crew cheered gleefully and Donatello got them back on course.

Casey and Raphael exchanged a relieved glance as they resumed pedaling next to one another. Raphael smiled. "And _that_ is why we let Donnie scavenge military junk."

They made it the rest of the way mostly on the leftover adrenaline high, feeling almost giddy. They found an empty port to dock as close to their intended point of entry as possible. The dock drained out all of the water in the round space made for the Kraang escape pods, then the metal turtle hung suspended in zero gravity.

Everyone took a moment to regain their breath. The turtles slipped into the extra gear they had brought, adding straps and holsters for shuriken, small blades, smoke bombs and anything else they might need for their missions. Donatello cracked open the crate of Kraang blasters that he had brought from his lab, the '**Dangerous, Do Not Touch**' label still across it, followed by another underneath that one that read, '**_That means you, Mikey_**.' Don handed one off to everyone but Casey, who loaded up a small but heavy duffel bag and a large spool of fuse wire.

April slung Casey's holster over one shoulder, armed with his bat and hockey sticks, then slung a blaster over the other. The straps crossed across her chest and she struggled to adjust everything comfortably for a moment. Then she hooked her thumbs into either side of her make-shift harness and puffed out her chest. "I feel like Rambo," she laughed, making the others chuckle.

"Okay, are we ready?" asked Leonardo. "This needs to be done with as much stealth as possible. No running off into a fight, no talking, no goofing around, no touching anything. This is serious. The longer they don't know about us, the better our chances of all getting out."

Leonardo opened the hatch and instantly their feet started lifting from the floor of their own accord, the stomach-wrenching feeling of adjusting to floating leaving them all looking strained and nauseous. They made it out of the submarine and crowded together in the small chamber. When everyone signaled they were ready, Leonardo hit the panel to open the door. He peeked out into the large white tunnel. Besides the odd empty pod floating past there was no activity. Crouching sideways against the rounded wall, he used his legs to launch himself across to the opposite side, the others following closely.

They clung to the wall in a cluster. Leonardo pulled a map out with one hand to orient himself. They needed to be precise, having memorized the routes they needed to take. He looked over at Raphael, pointing to the spot he believed them to be. Raphael considered for a moment, then pointed a little higher up. Then they were off again, Leonardo and Raphael leading the way, pulling themselves sideways along the wall with their hands until they found what they were looking for. A vent. Leonardo used a small knife to remove the covering. The inside looked like a large pipe, smooth and circular. The ventilation system formed a network that wove through the entire Technodrome.

Casey managed to stuff the duffel inside without floating away. He ducked into the narrow, pitch black tube to push the bag ahead and took a moment to thank his lucky stars that he wasn't claustrophobic. As the smallest one of their party, he was the only one that could fit. He would be alone and completely vulnerable if he was discovered. He backed out and took a last look at his friends.

Raphael stared at Casey intensely, conflicted, before finally deciding to push through the air and over to him. He took a sizable knife from his belt and handed it off to Casey, then brushed a subtle kiss against his jaw and whispered. "Don't blow yourself up, dumb ass."

"Don't shoot your foot off, idjit," he replied with a laugh as Raphael backed away. "See ya around, guys," Casey said to the group. He put the knife in his boot, took a deep breath and plunged head first into the darkness, hearing a series of "Be careful" and "Good luck" from the others.

The duffel bag completely blocked his line of sight, and he had to push it forward to advance. Donatello appeared at the base of the tunnel, setting the blaster box at Casey's feet and hooking the fuse wire up to it. Then he rolled the spool of wire carefully into the vent until Casey could reach it.

"Just like we went over, Casey," Donatello said reassuringly. "Be careful with the blasting caps, they can be set off by an impact. Are you ready?"

"Ready," Casey confirmed. He slipped on a headband and clicked on the flashlight attached to it. Donatello resealed the vent and soon after Casey's weight rested down again, gravity apparently restored once out of the pod lane way.

Casey pulled the map from his belt where his path was highlighted. He was to plant a row of charges along a specific area that should deliver a one-two punch to the Technodrome once they blew. This particular vent skirted their life support system, the machines that controlled the temperature, atmosphere and circulation. It also happened to be close enough to the outer walls that the explosion should cause a breach, flooding out portions of the structure. It all depended on him placing and setting the explosives just right, and he had to do it as quickly as possible.

_No pressure_, thought to himself. So began his journey. Push the bag ahead, unravel wire and shimmy up using his feet while laying on his back. Pass three off-shoot tunnels, then turn right. He followed his map carefully. To get lost in this system would mean death. Finally he arrived to his first bomb site. He set a bundle of C-4 bars from the duffel in place, then carefully unraveled the wire to release the first set of blasting caps, inserting one into each bar.

It was awkward trying to work in the tight space, but Casey found the most challenging part was pulling the rest of his body past the set charges without accidentally knocking something out of place with a knee or a foot. He had to turn sideways and press against the opposite side, holding his breath as he watched his boots finally pass by without disturbing a wire. He breathed a sigh of relief. One site down, five more to go. They were actually fairly close together. He was only trying to decimate one room and the machinery within it after all. Once they were set he would need to crawl through a maze of tunnels to get to their rendezvous point, but at least he could abandon the accursed duffel bag.

As Casey set the charges for bomb bundle number three, the alarms went off. He jumped so hard he nearly smashed one of the explosive caps into the curved metal wall. He took deep breaths and tried to focus on his task, thinking that maybe he should give meditating a try after all. He refused to let the noise get to him. If they discovered him in there, all he was armed with was the knife Raphael had given him. _Don't think about that. Focus._

**oooooo**

April watched as Donatello sealed her body away in the vent, a shudder going down her spine. She imagined the tight, dark space and the feeling of being entombed. Had she been herself, April wasn't sure if she could have pulled it off.

Leonardo lead them as they drifted across the walls again to a main entrance. The door slid open with a swish, dropping them back to the floor as it closed behind them. The stark black and white corridors offered little cover besides the odd doorway, which were set further into the walls and created shallow alcoves. No one spoke as they darted from one spot to another, following Leonardo's hand signals. Leonardo brought Raphael to his side, the two of them always staying ahead, taking the blind turns first and making April and their brothers wait for the '_All clear_'.

As they went deeper into enemy lines April realized why. She started to hear the whistle of blades and soft clunking of metal. Purple blood began to stain their weapons and hands. Donatello and Michelangelo kept their faces solemn and focused as they passed through the hallways Leonardo and Raphael cleared, not looking at the fallen Kraang droids or their silent occupants. It would only take a moment for a Kraang to alert the entire hive. They needed to be killed quickly and silently before they knew what hit them if the turtles were to make it to their destinations. It was cold and vicious work. Leonardo and Raphael had apparently agreed beforehand to try and spare her and their brothers from killing out of anything other than direct self defense.

Leonardo lifted a hand to indicate that they had made it to the storage bay. This was where they split up. April's breath hitched for a moment and she grabbed Donatello's hand tightly, silently imploring him to be careful with her eyes. He smiled for her softly, gave her hand a squeeze and let go. She felt tears prickle in her eyes as everything within her rebelled at the sight of Donatello disappearing around the corner with Raphael. The purple-pink honeycomb lines on the black of the wall blurred and she rubbed her eyes furiously.

Michelangelo rested a hand on her shoulder. His blue eyes were so soft, a stark contrast to the ice in Leonardo's hardened gaze. Leo was in _do-what-you-have-to-do_ mode and April quickly pulled herself together to get on the same page.

**ooooooo**

Raphael gripped the blaster tightly in his hands and steeled himself for all hell to break loose. The doorway they were at looked like every other one they had passed so far, but this one led to a small room that acted as their vault. All of their most valuable items were stored within. There were no guards or special locks. The Kraang knew what all the others of their kind were up to and they weren't individualistic enough to want to steal from each other.

What Raphael _did_ know was that as soon as Donatello finished picking the lock, it would be known within seconds that it was not a Kraang in their vault. They would zero in on their position almost right away, finding the bodies of their brethren strewn down the corridors. Raphael smirked to himself. He couldn't imagine there was anyone else in the world that could enrage an entire race of aliens in under 30 seconds quite like they could.

The lock beeped and the door opened. Donatello stepped in and pulled Raphael after him shell first as the alarm started to wail. Raphael glanced over his shoulder quickly. The room wasn't much bigger than a walk-in closet. Donatello rifled through whatever space junk the Kraang considered treasure. Raphael kept just inside the vault and readied his gun, firing as soon as movement caught his eye. He aimed for the midsection of the droids where the actual creatures rested. For every one Raphael managed to cut down it seemed like five more took it's place. They were advancing on both sides and would soon be able to shoot directly into the room.

"Donnie, we're about to get swarmed," Raphael yelled back, not even sure if he could hear him over the racket of the alarm and the blasters. Raphael kept shooting, hot pulses of return fire starting to skim past him. He felt Donatello's shell scrape against his as he tried to back into the room a little more. Objects fell from shelves around him, cluttering around his feet as Don ransacked the small space.

"I found it!" Donatello shouted victoriously, stuffing the Orb into a compartment on his belt.

Raphael and Donatello both dropped smoke bombs at the entrance as the Kraang droids reached them and starting firing head on into the tiny vault. They leapt straight up and out, running across the heads and shoulders of the droids in the confusion, dropping more smoke to keep up their cover. The lifeless metal hands grabbed at them blindly. They managed to jump clear of the crowd of droids at the door but more were coming towards them even as pulse blasts nipped hotly at their heels.

The alarm finally stopped screaming as they charged ahead, never slowing down, returning fire as they could. They dodged and jumped and vaulted off the walls erratically, trying to make themselves as difficult to target as possible. Neither brother engaged any of the droids they passed, just flew by, picking up more and more pursuers the closer they got to their rendezvous point.


	24. Chapter 24

The doors swished open as Leonardo approached the storage bay. Carefully he looked in, checking for movement among the rows of empty battle droids, crates, supplies and parts. Nothing. He motioned for April and Michelangelo to advance and they darted inside, the door closing behind them.

"Wow, look at this place," Michelangelo said appreciatively. The room was the size of a small warehouse.

"Fan out, lets find those portals," Leonardo said. "Michelangelo go left and keep an eye on the vent. April go right."

As soon as they split up to start their search the alarm went off.

"Make it fast, people," Leonardo yelled as he ran down the center aisles.

April went as quickly as she could, panting. She had no idea how Casey could run around and fight with his awkward holster and weapons. Between that and the blaster she was feeling less like Rambo and more like a pack mule. She wiped sweat from her brow and kept running, her eyes scanning row after row of shelves. The aisles contained mostly sealed boxes and replacement parts for droids. Finally, near the back of the room, she passed a smooth white storage bin full of small metallic objects. April picked one up, looking at the triple octagon symbol.

"I found them!" she yelled.

She looked around and couldn't see Leonardo or Michelangelo. They probably hadn't heard her. She took off in a sprint to find one of them, the noise of the alarm starting to make her head throb. April skidded to a halt out in the open, trying to get a visual on one of the turtles. Instead she got a clear view of the door opening from across the warehouse. Five Kraang droids entered, saw her immediately and opened fire.

She ducked behind some crates with a curse on her lips. The alarm stopped and it was eerily quiet for a few seconds. Then all she could hear were Kraang blasters. She jumped at how close they sounded before she remembered that they had their own. April followed the pulse blasts with her eyes to get an idea of Leo and Mikey's positions, then peeked up over the crate with own blaster.

"Guys!" Casey called from the ventilation shaft that lead to the storage bay.

"I'll cover you, Mikey," Leonardo shouted over the noise. More droids had joined the party and were pushing forward.

Michelangelo jumped down from a high ledge and rushed over, leaping up on a crate. "Back up!" he yelled to Casey, twirling the hook of his kusarigama. Just as he was about to throw it he came under heavy fire, forcing him to drop behind the crates. "Geez, Leo, you have the aim of a Stormtrooper!"

Leonardo tossed the gun down in frustration and drew his katanas. He might be a horrible shot but he was excellent with his blades. He charged towards the closest wave of Kraang, drawing their fire away from Michelangelo.

April provided cover fire, even though her shooting skills weren't much better than Leo's. Leonardo was a green and blue blur of focused destruction. April kept her eye on him and aimed for anything that tried to shoot him in the back, which was about everyone in the ever-growing group clambering through the narrow doorway.

Michelangelo had managed to hook the vent cover and gave a mighty heave on the chain. The cover gave out and snapped back towards him, almost hitting him. He brushed it off and lifted his arms to catch Casey. It was about a twelve foot drop and he could only come out head first. Michelangelo caught him in an awkward upside down jumble, quickly righting him and dragging him to shelter.

"April, aim for the brains," Michelangelo called. He shouldered his blaster and decimated a row of Kraang as he moved forward to where Leo had dropped his gun. He picked it up and tossed it over to Casey.

Casey hefted the blaster and immediately took down five Kraang in quick succession before ducking behind cover again. Then he ran across to where April was hunkered down.

"Holy shit, Casey, where did you two learn to shoot like that?" she asked.

"Zombie Apocalypse 2 on legendary difficulty," Casey answered with a grin. "Head shots only." He popped back up and took out another group of droids.

April snorted but mimicked Casey's hold and desperately aimed for the Kraang. It seemed like every time she looked they were closer and there were more of them. Leonardo was still flitting in and out of the fray, cutting down droids with startling speed before retreating once more. Michelangelo was literally bouncing off walls and shelves, dodging blasts and somehow maintaining his great aim.

Suddenly Raphael and Donatello burst through the crowd of Kraang at the entrance. It seemed like an endless tide of robots poured in after them. The red and purple brothers sprinted towards the back of the warehouse.

"Back up! Take cover!" Leonardo yelled, suddenly just off to the left of April and Casey. "Draw them in away from the entrance."

Raphael and Donatello took high ground, leaping from stacks of crates to top shelves, panting hard. Below on the ground Casey and April ran for the back of the storage bay.

The six of them regrouped, hiding among crates and scrap parts along the back wall. Donatello and Raphael had black singed streaks all along their shells, and Donatello had a line of seared flesh across the back of one calf. The Kraang were slowly advancing down the the length of the warehouse, searching them out.

"Casey, did you plant the bombs?" Leonardo asked in a hoarse whisper.

Casey nodded.

"The Orb?"

"Got it," Donatello said.

"We haven't found the portals," Leonardo said with a pained expression.

"No, I found them," April whispered. "On this side, two or three aisles down from here, there is a large bin. There's got to be hundreds of those little portal gateways in there."

Casey grabbed April's arm. "How did you do it? How did you knock all of the Kraang out last time?" he asked.

"I don't know," she hissed. "It just happened."

"We have to charge through, there is only the one door," Leonardo interrupted.

"That's what Don and I did, just keep moving forward no matter what," Raphael said.

The monotonous voices of the Kraang were drawing closer, as were their clanking footsteps. They needed to go before they were completely cornered. Leonardo signaled for them all to go right and that he was going left, alone. That put everyone on edge. "The portals," he said simply.

Leonardo prompted them to move out and turned from them, silently making his way up from shelf to thick black piping overhead. He wedged himself into the small space between pipe and ceiling, watching. Michelangelo was the fastest and he led the charge, trying to blast a path for them. Casey whipped through Kraang on his skate boots, weaving between them and clearing his way with a hockey stick. Raphael had lost his gun and was bulldozing straight through droids with his sai, Donatello close behind with his naginata. April brought up the rear, trying to follow the path of strewn robots as she kept the blaster up, continually shooting a spray of cover fire.

Leonardo felt a clench in his chest as he saw the Kraang begin to organize their efforts based on the unexpected breakaway. They crowded in on his family, starting to fill the gaps between their positions to cut them off from one another. They had also decided the blasters were too awkward at close range and carried a large risk of friendly fire. Many had switched weapons, now favoring batons or electrical prods.

Michelangelo was the first one to cry out as a prod hit him, coursing electricity through his body. It was soon joined by a second prod and he fell to his hands and knees. He was so close to the exit and his cries made Leonardo's body twitch forward instinctively. Then he looked below him at the cache of portals. They needed to be destroyed. With a heavy heart he waited and watched the drama unfold below from his hiding spot. April got snagged by a metal hand gripping her wrist just as Raphael threw the Kraang shocking Mikey off. Raphael stood over Michelangelo with his teeth bared, a whirlwind of vicious kicks and blades to whoever came within range. Raphael had no way of knowing that the circle of droids forming around him was already at least ten deep.

April struggled to get out of the grasp of the droid crushing her wrist, her tessen flying out towards it's middle. Another droid caught that arm, and yet another struck her in the ribs with a baton. The droid that had first grabbed her wrist was disarming her of her blaster. She thrashed against them, leaning back into the other droids and kicking out against the one taking her gun. Her feet connected solidly with the little brain in it's belly, but the reactive jolt caused the robot to discharge the weapon. April screamed as the white hot bolt of heat burned through and instantly cauterized a four inch line across the side of her abdomen right above the hip. She slumped, her tessen hitting the floor.

Leonardo felt frantic inside as he watched Raphael tiring and Casey and Donatello backtracking to help April. It was rare that Donatello fell into a rage, but at times like these, when he let everything he kept bottled up within surface, his battle lust rivaled Raphael's. The difference was that despite being overwhelmed with emotion, Donatello stayed focused and calculating through it all. He leveled the surrounding Kraang and helped April to her feet while Casey picked off more droids as they pressed in on them. Closer to the exit Michelangelo was on his feet again, fighting shell to shell with Raphael as they tried to escape out into the corridor. April was standing and had regained her tessen. Together her, Don and Casey fought to catch up to Raphael and Mikey. Finally they disappeared into the corridor, where they likely faced another horde of angry Kraang.

Leonardo took a deep breath. He removed a small plastic case from his belt, water pouring out over his stained hands as he opened it. Donatello had made him one more white phosphorous grenade. It was the only thing they had that would destroy the metal alloy that the Kraang portals were made from because it continued melting whatever the explosion touched for some time after. There were no more droids back where he was but the thick crowd had reformed all around the exit. Leonardo pulled the pin and dropped the grenade into the storage unit below, then flung himself away as fast as he could. He leapt across the shelves and crates and threw himself in the midst of the droids, who were all focused on getting out to his family. He shoved his way through, going with the momentum of the crowd.

The grenade blew before the Kraang could respond to his presence amongst them. The confusion allowed him to forge ahead more, out of the warehouse completely. Some Kraang ran back inside to see what had happened but the room was quickly filling with white smoke. Leonardo had almost made it through the thickest part of the swarm when hands started grabbing onto him like vices, pushing him down. Something struck the back of his head, making his vision go white and bile rise in his throat. A baton struck him again and he blacked out.

When Leo came to, his hand was in the bloodied hand of one his brothers, a sea of metal legs all around him as it tried to lift him up and away. Then sights and sounds snapped back into focus. Raphael and Donatello were fighting while Mikey tried to pull Leonardo away. Leonardo looked up at Michelangelo and got his legs working again. Mikey had a black eye and a line of blood running down the corner of his mouth, but he was smiling a relieved smile. It gave Leonardo the strength to get up and get moving.

As soon as Leonardo was on his feet the group ran through the corridors, back towards the anti-gravity chamber and their submarine. Most of their assailants were behind them and they beat a hasty retreat as the droids opened fire on them once again. Raphael scooped up Casey and Donatello followed suit with April, shielding them with their shells. Leonardo and Michelangelo took out any wayward Kraang they encountered along the way ahead.

"The one known as April O'Neil must not be allowed to leave this place alive. April O'Neil is a threat to Kraang," a voice boomed.

Just like that, Kraang Prime made it's terrifying self known at a junction in the halls. Donatello instinctively braced himself and clutched April tighter, but it was Raphael her metal tentacle struck out at. Raphael took the hit on his side and it sent him and Casey tumbling into a wall.

Cool metal coiled around Casey and he felt himself lifted into the air. Then he was looking into the cruel green and yellow eyes of the largest Kraang he had ever seen. It laughed in his face as it squeezed tighter, and Casey suddenly had a whole new appreciation for April's anxiety regarding this foe. Casey gasped as his ribs were restricted tighter, making it difficult for him to draw a breath. Desperately he tried to duplicate the incapacitating blast April had produced to no avail.

"Keep running!" Leonardo yelled to the others. "Don't let the droids surround us or we're done."

The horde of droids was still coming down the hall guns blazing. Leonardo jumped up and swung his sword down with all of his strength, cutting through the tentacle holding Casey. Casey fell to the floor, freeing himself from the coil and sucking air into his lungs greedily. Leonardo snapped him up in his arms. Kraang Prime squealed deafeningly as Leonardo tried to retreat but took a hard hit from behind. He stumbled onto his knees, still clutching Casey in April's small form.

Raphael rushed to block the next blow from the Prime's intact tentacle, meant to impale Leonardo from behind. He caught it in his sais, metal scraping on metal. It took all of Raphael's waning strength to deflect the pointed tip away from the back of Leo's neck.

Leonardo got to his feet, the hot sting of plasma bolts surrounding them. "Now! Retreat!" he yelled.

Raphael finally listened to him and they sprinted side by side to catch up with the others. They were close to the exit of the pod transport tunnel, but the enormous Kraang Prime gained on them effortlessly.

"Mikey," Leonardo called as they caught up to the group.

Michelangelo glanced back, still in a full run. He was the only one left with a blaster.

"Zombie Apocalypse 2 boss fight," Leonardo panted.

Michelangelo grinned, jumping and spinning in midair. "Booyakasha!" he yelled, landing in a shooter's crouch. As Leonardo and Raphael passed he took aim and fired. The Prime let out a terrible scream and crashed to a halt, flailing in pain as the shot burned through it's left eye. The droids instantly stopped shooting and went to assist their leader. Michelangelo turned tail and ran, throwing himself through the exit and into the anti-gravity, struggling gracelessly through the air to their docking pod.

Once back on board the turtle sub, everyone collapsed in an exhausted heap. The chamber the submarine was docked in slowly opened, refilling with water. Donatello and Leonardo dragged themselves up to the controls.

Donatello grabbed his homemade remote detonator. He turned to Leo. "Engines full throttle, and don't let up. I'm sorry, I really did the best I could for extending the range of the remote."

Leonardo brought the engines to life, cranked them to full speed and finally they were on their way. His tired brain was too muddled to understand what Donatello was talking about. Until Donnie flipped the switch. Leonardo's heart hammered. They were too close to the Technodrome. _Too close!_ Of course the remote would have a limited range.

The roar of the explosion thundered through the submarine. It's forward momentum halted as the outer walls of the Technodrome were breached, sucking water in to flood the vulnerable section of the sphere. Even at full speed the drag of the water rushing towards the dome took them back a bit, shaking the sub violently as it struggled to move forward. Then suddenly the backwards pull became a push and they shot away from the Technodrome, jolting everyone violently and causing a tired chorus of protests and profanities.


	25. Chapter 25

By the time the six battle weary teenagers stumbled out of the Shellraiser and back into the lair they could barely keep their eyes open. Their adrenaline had long since crashed and their bodies were feeling the full extent of the battering each had taken. Both Splinter and Kirby welcomed their children back, first with the relief that no one was missing, then concern over their injuries.

"Dad?" April said, bewildered but happily throwing herself into Kirby's arms. "What are you doing here?"

Kirby held her close and helped her walk to the sunken living room, noticing how she clutched her side. "Splinter and I have started a support group for fathers of adventurous teens that risk their lives to save the world," he said with a small smile.

"Boys!" Splinter rushed to his sons and let them surround him, struggling against the press of their collective weight leaning in on him.

"We have completed our missions, Sensei," Leonardo said solemnly.

"You have done well," Splinter answered. "Now, come and rest." He coaxed them to the main area, trying to keep them steady in turns.

Casey held his arms tightly around his ribs, trailing Splinter and the turtles. The absence of his own father stung suddenly. He lowered his eyes to the floor, his throat tight. The turtles removed their padding and belts, their weapons clanging onto the floor. Casey removed his boots and modified sporting equipment and added them to the haphazard pile. He felt a tentative hand on his arm.

"Are you hurt?" asked Kirby.

Casey just stared up at him for a minute mutely, surprised that Kirby was genuinely worried for _him_, not just for the fact that he wore April's body. "Just some bruises," he mumbled finally.

Splinter had stacked pillows and blankets on the couch and pushed the coffee table aside to maximize their space. His sons took one of each and collapsed onto the floor in the pit. Following their lead, Casey did the same, sprawling out next to Raphael on the outskirt of the tight-knit brothers. Raphael settled an arm over him and started snoring gently into his hair. Just before Casey passed out he thought that maybe the bonds between the family you chose really could be stronger than those of the family you were born with. And for once, he was at peace with that.

Splinter retrieved their first aid supplies and directed Kirby to fill a couple of basins with warm water. He sat next to Donatello on the floor, who was the only one still struggling to stay awake. He was lying on his plastron, head tilted towards Splinter on his pillow.

"I'm sorry, Sensei," Donatello mumbled, his eyes heavy. "I just can't move anymore."

Splinter shushed him, pushing the edge of a pair of blunt-tipped scissors between his wrappings and the skin of his wrist, cutting the stained material away deftly. "This was my job long before it became yours," Splinter assured him. "Sleep now, let someone take care of _you_ for a change." He made sure Donatello was fully asleep before cutting away the wraps supporting his ankle on his injured leg. The blast that had caught his calf had also burned through the very top of his wrap. The frayed fabric had partially stuck to the wound and he needed to remove it very carefully.

Splinter's sensitive ear swiveled towards Kirby, who took a sharp intake of breath after finding a similar wound across April's left side just above the hip.

"Like this," Splinter said gently, gesturing to the wound on his son's calf. He cleaned and disinfected it, applied a soothing burn gel and then bandaged it loosely.

Kirby followed his example, treating the raised, burnt flesh gingerly before taping a square of gauze over it. Splinter moved on to Leonardo, who had an ugly bruise across the back of his head. Kirby tried to keep his shaking hands steady as he pulled her shirt back down over the bandage. He checked Casey over, in his daughter's body. As he had told Kirby earlier, he did not seem to be visibly injured besides bruises and small cuts. It was a small relief to his frayed nerves.

"How do you do this?" Kirby asked Splinter. "I thought I could handle it but they tried to kill _my_ daughter. Your sons."

Splinter could hear Kirby's heart beat erratically and the edge in his voice. "I do it because I must," he said calmly, not allowing his own anger at the Kraang to creep into his voice. "Just as they do. If not for their bravery, none of us would be here right now. We would have succumbed to the invasion last year."

"Why does it have to be them?" In a moment of weakness Kirby thought about how their lives had been turned upside down ever since coming into contact with the Hamato clan.

Splinter gave him a patient and gentle look, his soft brown eyes those of a man who had also suffered, who had also lost his wife and who also wished something better than this for his children. "We all have our own destinies to fulfill. Some are greater than others." He looked away from Kirby, affectionately wiping away a streak of blood from Michelangelo's snoring mouth.

"I'm sorry," Kirby said as if Splinter had read his thoughts. Really, meeting April had changed _their_ lives and put them on the front lines of the Kraang war.

Kirby had seen how Splinter tended to each of his sons and cut away Raphael's wraps while Splinter was busy with Michelangelo. Raphael's knuckles were bruised and bloody, and Kirby cleaned and bandaged them.

"Nothing like the sleep extreme adrenal fatigue brings," Kirby said lightly, trying to smile. The six teenagers were practically comatose.

"Indeed," agreed Splinter.

After putting the medical supplies away, the two fathers sat together on the couch, lights dim and drinking chamomile tea. Kirby looked over the mess of limbs, shells, cushions and colorful blankets. "Are we going to leave them like that?" he asked.

"It would be impossible to get them to their rooms in their current state," Splinter answered, looking over to the stairway.

Kirby followed his gaze, noticing for the first time that the steps did not reach the floor. They would have to jump or pull themselves up to get onto the first step. "Ah. Well, they do seem content."

Splinter looked over them fondly. "When they were small, they used to call it the nest. Whenever something troubling happened to us, or one of them was having nightmares, they would ask for the nest. Then we would pull all of our bedding out and curl up together like that. It warms me to see them still take comfort in each other." He sighed and sunk back into the couch, sipping his tea with a smile at the memory of their small bodies cuddled against him.

"When April was little, she had a lot of nightmares," Kirby said. "She would come and curl up between my wife and I in the middle of the night. By morning she had always somehow managed to turn the wrong way on the bed, and her feet would be on our pillows and in our faces."

Splinter chuckled.

April turned into Donatello in her sleep and rested a hand on his blackened shell. "They are very fond of one another," Kirby noted.

Feeling slightly uneasy, Splinter shifted his gaze to Kirby. "Does that…distress you?" he asked carefully.

"The idea of your daughter dating anybody is distressing to all fathers everywhere," Kirby said with a small laugh.

Splinter relaxed again, the smile returning to his features. "We should get some rest. They are going to be ravenous in the morning."

Kirby smiled. "It just so happens that Sunday breakfast is one of my specialties."

**ooooooo**

April awoke in stages, her senses coming alive one at a time. First she heard and then smelled the sizzle of bacon. Her father was humming the way he always did when he cooked. Her brow furrowed in confusion. Air caressed her palm, first cool, then warm. She cracked her eyes open blearily. Her arm was stretched over Michelangelo and her hand was only a couple of inches above his mouth. She tried to roll over but met resistance at her back. A quick glance revealed that she was wedged in between Mikey and Donatello. On the floor? Donatello was face down in his pillow and April was far more concerned with how he could possibly be breathing in that position than how easily she could have been crushed between their shells.

Pain shot through her center as she brought herself up into a sitting position and everything rushed back to her. "Ow, ow, ow," she hissed. She rested an elbow on Donatello's carapace and inspected the bandage on her side, having no recollection of being taken care of. All of her muscles were tight and sore. Donatello had thrown a leg over hers, pinning them.

Leonardo was the next to wake, looking about groggily and struggling to pry his arm out from under Raphael's head. He seemed to get a whiff of the food in the air before turning a deeper shade of green and rushing off down the hall unsteadily. With Leo gone Raphael groped around blindly for an actual pillow to rest his head on, then pulled Casey closer against him. The sight would have been unsettling to April if she wasn't holding back a laugh at the fact that Raphael made a really cute big spoon.

April shook Donnie hard enough to rock the edge of his shell into the back of Raphael's but he didn't stir. "Don, move your leg," she whined tiredly, earning only a grumble.

Mikey shifted and pushed Don's leg off of hers with his foot. "He needs to hear his coffee grinding to get him moving on a morning like this," Michelangelo said before yawning loudly.

Splinter came into the living room with Leonardo draped over him and settled him on the couch. Leonardo groaned and spun his blue mask around so that it covered his eyes.

"You okay, bro?" Michelangelo asked, instantly on his feet.

"He has a concussion," Splinter replied for Leo. "He needs quiet and rest," he added pointedly.

Knowing Donatello was a lost cause, Michelangelo hovered over Raphael. "Aw, they're so cute. Big, bad Raphie likes to snuggle," he cooed.

"Shut up, Mikey," Raphael warned, eyes still closed.

Casey sat up groggily beside him and winced. "I feel like my ribcage was crushed by a metal alien tentacle. Oh, wait, that happened," he said dryly.

April snorted. "Just another Saturday…"

Mikey shook Raphael, who halfheartedly tried to swat him away.

"Get up already," Mikey said cheerfully next to his ear.

"Why do you even care? Go away!"

"I don't want to come out of the shower for breakfast and still have you laying here stinking up the place," Michelangelo jested.

"I'm gonna blacken your other eye," Raphael growled.

Mikey ignored him. "Seriously, dude, it smells like a Kraang crawled up your shell and died. A month ago."

Raphael finally opened his eyes and scowled at his brother, Casey and April breaking into painful giggles. "Can't you take a day off from being a pest?" Raphael asked irritably. "You're pretty spry for a guy that got electrocuted last night."

Splinter's ears clamped down against his head and the turtles both went silent. It was a lot more difficult for him to be nonchalant with bits of information like that.

Raphael cleared his throat. "Right, showers," he said quickly, getting up and disappearing with Michelangelo.

They had a very slow and easy-going morning, each taking their turn to clean up and then help themselves to the breakfast feast that Kirby had graciously prepared for all of them. Donatello was the last to rise, and sure enough, it was the sound of coffee beans grinding that urged him into movement. Kirby found himself very much at ease and welcomed among the unique family. He and Splinter sipped the rat's special calming blend of tea as more and more details of their children's dangerous adventure were revealed. They spoke excitedly about their narrow escapes, how they were vastly outnumbered at every turn.

Michelangelo eventually took over the story, embellishing his heroics that allowed them all to escape. "I told you all the video games would pay off one day, Sensei," he said with a cheeky smile. "If I hadn't played so much Zombie Apocalypse 2 we would have never been able to hold them off!"

"Ahem!" said Casey, elbowing Mikey in the arm.

"Oh yeah, and Casey helped," he amended.

"Helped? I took out way more droids than you did," Casey scoffed.

"No way. Plus, I took out the Prime's eye," Michelangelo challenged.

"I beat your high score in the game three days ago," Casey retorted.

"What?!"

**ooooooo**

The Orb of Consciousness was about the size of a tennis ball. It was all white with a single black splotch on the top center of the sphere, which was smooth and hard like a marble. April was entranced by it. No matter how you rolled it, the black splotch always stayed on top despite the fact that it was completely solid. She traced her finger over the seamless surface. No liquid within, yet the spot moved, always facing up.

April cocked her head to the side and studied it. "I thought it would be bigger."

Leonardo giggled from Donatello's examining cot as Donnie shone a light into each of his eyes. "That's not something I expected a girl to ever say to us."

April's mouth dropped open from where she sat on Donnie's desk chair with the Orb.

"How about we play the quiet game for now, Leo?" Donatello said, feeling the back of his neck and cheeks heat up. "Look straight ahead, tell me if any of this hurts."

Leonardo did as he was told and Donatello pressed the pad of a finger along multiple points down his neck.

Leonardo just stared blankly with a small smile on his face. "Karai saved us," he said. "The bombs. I'm gonna marry her if the world doesn't end."

"Yes, I'm sure you can find a nice chapel and someone to pronounce you mutant and wife, then you can live happily ever after hoping she doesn't kill you in your sleep one night," Donatello muttered, inspecting the actual bruise on Leo's head.

"That would be so nice," Leonardo sighed.

Donatello impatiently passed his brother some painkillers and a glass of water. Leo took them and swallowed them back, then started gulping down the rest of the water. "No, not all of it!" warned Donatello to no avail. He watched Leonardo cautiously. "How do you feel?"

"I feel great!" he said happily. He hopped off the cot and took a couple of steps before realizing he had no balance.

Donatello caught him, the movement jolting his brother and making the water swish horribly in his stomach. Immediately Leonardo stiffened, eyes wide, then dove for a garbage can to throw up in. Donnie looked back at April and sighed. "So much for the painkillers."

"How long is he going to be like this?" April asked.

"Another day or two maybe?" he answered.

Leonardo sat wretchedly on the floor, shivering, his giddy mood swing apparently at an end. "My ears are ringing again," he said sadly.

Raphael poked his head into the lab from the open doorway. "Everything okay? I thought I heard…" He saw Leonardo sitting miserably clutching the garbage can and frowned, entering and crouching down next to him. "You gonna make it, Fearless?"

"Make it where?" Leonardo asked, confused.

"Never mind. Let's get you back to Splinter's room to get some rest." Raphael helped him up and led him out of the lab.

"Make sure he has a bucket," Donatello called after them. He turned to April and offered up a round plastic container of a homemade balm he had concocted. "Would you mind? Then I'll change your dressing."

"Of course not," April said with a smile. She took the container and sat cross-legged on the cot. Donnie joined her, his shell to her and his legs off the end of the bed.

Donatello and Raphael had come under particularly heavy fire during their raid, and both had burns to their shells. Once the black streaks had been washed away the damage had been revealed. In three different places Donatello's shell had pinkish-white spots where the surface of the scute had been burnt away. They were very sensitive to the touch and could easily become infected. The balm Donatello had created for shell wounds was thick and waxy, providing a second skin over the raw points. It also contained ingredients to promote healing and growth, as well as an antibiotic. He had given Casey another container with instructions for Raph, since there was no way his stubborn brother was going to sit still long enough to let Don apply the stuff.

He exhaled sharply as April applied some to the first wound.

"Did that hurt?" she asked timidly.

"It's cold," he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

She nudged the back of his arm playfully. "So when are we going to start on the Neuro-Switcher?"

"I was planning on starting today, actually. Eager to get back?" he asked, his lips curling up in a smile.

"Yes!"

"Any special plans?" he asked coyly.

She coated the second wound on his shell with the waxy substance and blushed. "Are you flirting with me?"

"Maybe." He peeked back over his shell with a grin.

"What happened to my shy, innocent Donnie?" she asked.

"He never got kissed."


	26. Chapter 26

It didn't take Raphael long to go stir crazy in the lair. They were all recovering from the Technodrome raid a few days ago, they weren't patrolling and their training was suspended. This time around Raphael was the least injured of his brothers, which was a nice change from the beating and near death experience he'd had at TCRI weeks before. The negative was that everyone was too busy or sore to spar and Splinter didn't want him going topside alone. At first he paired his protective nature with his excess energy to help out his brothers, but Raphael was not a long term nurturer and once it was clear everyone would recover he backed off.

Raphael stared at the TV screen, watching as Michelangelo tried to clear a level of undead for what seemed like the hundredth time. Casey sighed restlessly next to him on the couch, tossing aside the horror movie he had brought by for them to watch.

"Mikey, you said you were gonna be done soon, and that was half an hour ago," Raphael complained.

Michelangelo continued playing his video game, completely hogging the television as he tried to recover high score in Zombie Apocalypse 2 from Casey. Mikey had been upset about how horrible his black eye looked until he had found himself an eye patch to wear over it, but it was doing nothing to help his game. He slipped Raphael a sideways glance. "I don't know any Mikey," he said with a silly lilt to his voice.

Raphael sighed impatiently into his palm. "I'm not calling you Mike Fury."

"You just did!" he replied happily.

"Are you almost done or what?" Raphael demanded.

"I just need to find a save point."

That was Mikey-speak for "No, not anytime soon." Raphael huffed, any ability to sit still for an entire movie shot. "Your ribs okay?" he asked Casey. "Wanna hit the dojo?"

"Yes!" Casey answered, relieved.

Raphael insisted that Casey should learn how to use at least one bladed weapon, even if it was only a knife and for a last resort. They dueled with wooden practice knives, slashing, stabbing and dodging each other. Their laughter and smack talk became ever more raucous as Raphael made it his goal to disarm Casey as many times as possible, frustrating him to no end.

When the sliding door between Splinter's room and the dojo opened, the wooden weapons lay discarded on the ground and Raphael had Casey in a headlock. They were both laughing but paused when Leonardo took a tentative step into the light, wincing.

"Do you guys mind not being so noisy?" Leonardo asked, rubbing his temple. He had taken Splinter's room for the time being since it was on the main level.

Raphael released Casey, who immediately elbowed him. "Sure, Leo," he answered, nonchalantly toppling Casey to the mats with a shove.

Leonardo let out a long-suffering sigh and the door whispered shut once again. Apparently his migraines hadn't ceased. His intense mood swings had lasted a couple of days, where he had bounced between giddy chatterbox and brooding silence. Once his body was able to accept liquid nourishment again he had stabilized into stoic grump. The few times he had made it out to the common area left Raphael policing Michelangelo's noise level or absorbing the brunt of Leo's aggravation.

Raphael extended his hand to Casey and helped him up. Already warm from their scuffle, Raphael felt himself heat up more as Casey stared up at him impishly and leaned in along his arm. He pulled Casey in for a light kiss, but with Leonardo in the adjoining room and people coming to check on his condition regularly, Raphael felt too exposed to relax into it. There was only one possible sanctuary for privacy in the lair. Raphael smiled slyly as he led Casey upstairs and to his room, enjoying the way Casey's blush deepened when he figured out where they were headed.

As soon as they crossed the threshold Raphael pushed his door closed brusquely with his foot. Casey threw his arms around Raphael's neck and their mouths mashed together clumsily. Raphael's hands went to Casey's hips as slowly and blindly they drifted past the drum set towards the bed.

"Raphael." The sharp sound of Master Splinter's voice from the next bedroom instantly made him stand at attention with a start. "Leave your door open if you both plan on spending time in there."

Raphael sighed into Casey's red hair, frustrated. Splinter, having been displaced by his injured son, was using Leonardo's room. He cleared his throat before answering. "Hai, Sensei. We aren't staying, I'm just…looking for something. Can I go to the surface for a while with Casey?"

Splinter waited a minute before answering from the other side of the wall. "I suppose so."

Casey ran his nails down the back of Raphael's neck. "Thank you, Sensei," Raphael responded, struggling to keep his voice steady.

As they hastily geared up and left the lair behind, Raphael felt a small sense of relief that Donatello had been in the lab when they departed. For one, he didn't need the days of patented Don cut eye for being caught coming down from his bedroom with Casey hanging off of him. Secondly, Donatello and April had become painful for him to watch since their return from the Technodrome. They had both been shot and still moved stiffly with discomfort, yet looked happier than he had ever seen them. They were completely absorbed in one another, all smiles and googly eyes in anticipation of their future. It only served as a reminder to Raphael the possibility that all he had left with Casey was right now.

Once topside, they raced to the industrial district, Casey skating at breakneck speed along the sidewalk and Raphael running across rooftops. Casey whizzed around pedestrians and slid over the hoods of a couple of idling cars, leaving people cursing and gasping in his wake. It amused Raphael. If Jones had been in his own body, someone would have probably thrown a punch at him by now. The bright lights and noise dimmed as stores and apartment buildings gave way to factories and warehouses. Trucks parked in dark parking lots loomed like behemoths as Raphael ran past them, finally feeling safe enough to rejoin Casey at ground level.

Casey grinned at Raphael as he ran alongside him silently, the only sound the whir of roller blade wheels against concrete echoing off the buildings. Casey tucked and sped up, making it clear the race would be all the way to the fence that divided this area and the scrap yard. He managed to stay a few feet ahead of Raphael's sprint the rest of the way, turning his shoulder to the chain link as he plowed into it. The fence buckled inward slightly before springing him back into Raphael.

"Hah, beat you again!" Casey gloated through his mask directly into Raphael's face.

"This doesn't count, I don't have my board," he answered, rolling his eyes. "And neither did last time. You cheated."

Casey steadied himself and straightened, shifting his mask up to the top of his head to scowl at Raphael. "I didn't cheat. You're just a sore loser."

"You nudged me to throw me off balance while I was on my skateboard. How is that not cheating?"

"No way, not my fault you were a klutz," Casey said with a playful grin. He backed away from Raphael on his skates to the nearest warehouse.

"A cheater _and_ a liar," he scolded in a low voice, following Casey into the shadows.

Casey put a hand over his heart and pretended to be wounded just as he felt the brick wall at his back. "I'm hurt."

"Not yet yer not," Raphael growled, pinning Casey to the wall with a hand on either side of his head. Casey's scent changed subtly in an instant and Raph let the corner of his mouth perk up wickedly.

Casey let his eyes wander up Raphael's massive arms, loving the feel of being boxed in by all that muscle. He took in the glittering green eyes and crooked little smile that made his knees go weak. Raphael closed the gap between them, pressing Casey into the wall with his plastron and kissing him roughly. Casey wrapped his arms around Raphael's neck encouragingly, their kisses deepening and filling both of them with an urgency they'd never experienced before, their breathing heavy and ragged against each others mouths. Casey let his fingertips slide down Raphael's neck and between his shoulders, caressing the groove where his shell connected.

Raphael slowly removed the skull mask, letting it tease through the red locks before dropping it to the ground. He ran his hands down either side of Casey's ribs, down over his hips, cupped them over his bottom and gripped his thighs, hoisting Casey up. Planting a padded knee against the brick wall, he had Casey straddle his thigh. His toes barely reached the ground but Raphael firmly held and steadied him. A deep rumble started in Raphael's chest as he grazed his mouth lightly over Casey's throat. He felt Raphael's wide, warm tongue flicker just above his collarbone and moaned. Casey relished the confinement between the cool, rough brick at his back and the warm, smooth plastron against his front. He clutched Raphael tighter, one hand twining into his red bandana and the other kneading the solid chord of his bicep. Casey let out a long sigh as he felt teeth brush across the soft flesh just below his jaw, arching into Raphael and delivering quick kisses to the side of his face and neck. Raphael's left hand released it's tight grip on his thigh and drifted up to his side just above the curve of his hip. Casey felt the rough, calloused pad of his thumb slip in just under the hem of his shirt as Raph nibbled lightly at his ear. Casey felt a tremor go through him and his body instinctively urged him to shift his hips, a small cry escaping his lips.

Raphael pulled back to check on Casey at the sound of it, breaking their tight embrace to make sure he wasn't crushing him. Raphael's breath caught for a moment as Casey grabbed hold of the top of his plastron, one finger dipping into and tracing the lightning bolt shaped crack. Casey's pupils were dilated and unfocused, the blue of them like molten pools. He tugged on Raphael's plastron, trying to press them together once more. The sharp scent of arousal fogged Raphael's brain and his fingers started to slide in under the tank top, caressing the soft skin. His other hand gripped Casey's thigh tightly to balance him as he squirmed and moaned softly against the wall, kindling heat that twisted through Raphael's belly into a roaring need.

"Casey," Raphael growled. "What are you…" His question was cut off by his own deep churr as Casey's hands stroked his ribs between shell and plastron.

Casey felt a rough thumb brush over his nipple and bit his lower lip with a groan. Raphael's hands wandered up the planes of smooth white dips and curves beneath the fabric before retreating again. The delicious pressure between Casey's legs ceased as Raph parted from him, sighing heavily.

"We should stop," Raphael said, even as he bent in for another kiss.

"I know," Casey replied longingly, leaning against the wall.

They were really skirting April's rules tonight. Casey straightened his tank top and smoothed out his hair, still breathing heavily and feeling light-headed. It didn't help that Raphael was still standing over him and staring down hungrily, his breath puffing over his chest. Casey shivered under his scrutiny and cupped his face in his hands for one last kiss.

"Ugh, I can't wait until I am back in my own body and can do whatever I want," Casey groaned.

"Me neither," Raphael answered thickly.

They shared a charged moment of tense silence. "Really?" Casey asked.

"Casey, right now I'm so worked up you could morph into some weird lookin' mutant this second and I'd still be game."

He giggled. "Some weird looking mutant?" Casey repeated. "Like you?"

"I look weird?" Raphael asked, pretending to be surprised.

"Total freak show," Casey confirmed. "But I like it. So how about if I morphed into myself?"

Raphael shrugged, getting more serious. "I'm more of a feel it out and see kinda guy. I'm going to give it a chance. I can't just think about it and decide one way or the other. Actually, right now, I can barely think at all seeing as none of my blood is left in my brain."

Casey smiled but went silent and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Hey," Raphael said softly. "You know I'll always be there if you need me, right? Even if things don't work out."

Casey was about to respond when the sound of engines echoed through the wide open parking lots. They both dove for the deeper shadows along the warehouse. Casey grabbed his mask and slipped it on while Raphael readied his sais, both instantly switching gears.

"Who would be out here at this hour besides us?" Casey whispered.

"Probably some shady types that need a beat down," Raphael said with a grin. Finally he would get a chance to blow off some steam.

They split up, Raphael taking the high ground atop the warehouses and Casey creeping silently through the shadows below. Down the row two pairs of headlights cut out, the only remaining illumination coming from a dim caged bulb above the doors to the closest loading dock. The two men Casey slowly advanced on from behind had Purple Dragon tattoos down their arms. They were making some sort of exchange with two other men, and from the bits of conversation he could hear, it sounded like the Dragons were selling drugs to a couple of dealers. Casey frowned behind his mask as he attached a smoke bomb to a puck. These losers were going to wake up hurting to a bunch of cops and have some serious explaining to do.

Casey took aim with his hockey stick and swung, the puck whizzing between the four men and lodging itself into the headlight of the dealer's car. The loud crack of glass and burst of smoke startled them. As Casey raced forward he saw one of the dealers disappear from the cloud as Raphael pulled him back and into the narrow alley beside the dock. Casey skated in low at full speed, ramming the end of his hockey stick up and into one of the Purple Dragons' solar plexus. The man made that horrible gagging-gasping sound of being winded, then went silent as Casey followed up with a high stick to the back of his head.

The smoke started to dissipate and the second dealer got a glance of a snarling Raphael and freaked, desperately trying to get back into his car. Casey's remaining opponent was a tall lean man who deftly dodged his stick twice in quick succession. He moved with the fluid grace Casey had come to recognize in martial artists. Casey Jones was not one to back away from a challenge, however. He skated in and feigned his intention to strike high and to the left, then at the last minute swung in a low arc that should have caught the man just below his ribcage on the right. The Dragon whirled away to avoid it, then swiftly grabbed hold of the stick and tugged Casey violently into his knee. Casey took the hit on his chin, his mask popping up and leaving him blind for precious seconds.

Casey had peripherally noted that Raphael had knocked his second thug over the hood of his car, then hauled him up and marched him back into the alley to no doubt join his partner in unconsciousness. That meant Casey was on his own momentarily. He swung the hockey stick out blindly with one hand to try and keep the man at bay while simultaneously pushing the mask up off his face. The sight he was greeted with was a hand descending towards his face and the flash of something metallic within it. All Casey could think of was that it was a knife and he didn't have time to block properly. He expected the sharp bite of steel into his cheek, not the blunt sensation of being punched with an iron fist.

April's body definitely had it's advantages, but taking a hard hit was not one of them. Casey stumbled back, tasting blood and reeling from the pain just below his cheekbone. He didn't even realize he had fallen to the ground until he felt the hard press of his pack and weapons digging into his back and the cold concrete beneath him. His head lolled to the side and he vaguely heard the Purple Dragon's voice through the buzz in his ears. In his confusion he felt like he was watching TV and listening to the radio at the same time, unable to fully concentrate on either. The back door of the drug dealer's car opened and another thug stepped out, pulling a gun from his waistband and disappearing from Casey's line of sight towards the alley Raphael was in.

"…heard of you guys," the Dragon was saying distantly. "Dressing up in crazy costumes and trying to play hero, pissing off…"

Casey tried and to yell a warning to Raphael, but only managed to cough a bit of blood out onto his chin. Two shots rang out deafeningly, making Casey's heart lurch painfully into his throat.

"…never expected you to be a couple of punk kids." The Dragon snapped back into focus. He was squatting in front of Casey, looking at his face.

Casey felt a desperate anger slither within him and spat out a tooth and a gob of blood onto the Dragon's chest in a final act of defiance. The man didn't flinch but stood to his full height once again.

"You know why superheros aren't real, kid?" he asked as he started to raise his pistol. Casey held his gaze and apologized to April in his head. "They end up dead."

Before he could level the gun and aim the Dragon cried out in surprise and let it clatter to the ground, his forearm and hand peppered with shuriken. Raphael burst out from behind one of the cars, catching the man while he was still distracted with a barely restrained punch to the face. The force of it was enough to spin the guy before he crumpled unmoving to the ground a few feet away. Raphael was torn for a minute between going to help Casey and stomping the unconscious Purple Dragon into mush.

"Oh man, I thought you were a goner." Casey laughed with relief, emotionally overwrought.

"Me?" Raphael said, abandoning the man on the ground. "Look at you!" He helped Casey to his feet, unable to stop staring at the bruise the left side of his cheek was forming. There was blood on his chin and spots of it flecked his chest.

Casey spat red again. "Let's get the hell out of here. Call it in."

"Yeah, double time," Raphael agreed, turning and gesturing for him to get onto his shell.

Casey was too tired to argue. The entire encounter had lasted under five minutes but had felt like hours. As soon as he was secure Raphael took off at top speed while leaving the police a short and precise anonymous tip on his Shell Cell. Then he was leaping up and across the city, still bustling even this late at night. Casey tightened his grip around Raphael's neck, feeling the cool air rush past him and blow through his hair, trying to steel his stomach against the moments of weightlessness and jarring landings. He had been certain Raphael was dead or wounded when he had heard those shots fired. Certain that he would be next. The emotional roller coaster of their night finally crashed, leaving him feeling jittery and sore.

Raphael tried to keep his mind clear as he ran towards April's house, but it was impossible. How had his night gone from a ten to a zero in a matter of minutes? His brain seemed eager to supply an endless loop of answers. _We were distracted. We were overconfident. We assumed they would have no meaningful training. We assumed they didn't have guns. We did not take enough time to assess the situation. We didn't check if there were any more people in the cars._ Rookie mistakes. Raphael gritted his teeth against the pain of Casey's clothing rubbing the raw burns on his shell, taking it like a punishment. As he neared the quieter suburb of April's area his mind took another track. _You almost lost Casey and April in one instant._

They entered April's house through the secluded side door. Raphael immediately made up an ice pack for Casey, who was rinsing his mouth out at the kitchen sink. Of course April chose that very moment to walk in the front door. It was a good thing Kirby was used to sleeping through all of them coming and going from the house at all hours or he would probably be there too.

Raphael looked at April guiltily before she even realized what was going on and blurted, "I'm sorry."

"What?" April asked, tired after a full day and much of the night working with Donatello on the Neuro-Switcher.

Casey turned to face her, one hand rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment, and showed his bruised face. _Her_ bruised face.

April's eyes widened in shock. "What the…? How did…?"

"Hey, it's okay, Red," Casey said soothingly. "I just took a nasty punch tonight is all."

"Geez, Casey, you guys were only out for an hour!" she hissed, not wanting to wake her father. "You took less of a beating against the entire Kraang army!" April tried to meet Raphael's eyes but he stared down at the kitchen tile. "What happened?" she asked the turtle pointedly.

"Nothing," Casey answered for him. "I don't know why Raph's blaming himself. I was the one that got tagged with a lucky hit."

Raphael glanced up to Casey and his blue eyes were hard and serious. _Stick to the story_, they said. Casey didn't want her to know she very nearly hadn't had a body to return to or that the extra risks they had taken in the Technodrome to recover the Orb had almost been for nothing. Raphael sighed, finally looking up to April. "Yeah, you should see the other guys," he muttered.

"I'm fine," Casey assured them both, taking the ice pack from Raphael. He held it to his face and winced. "I'm going to bed."

Everyone finally parted ways, leaving any other questions unasked. Raphael took to the tunnels, looking forward to the quiet and solace of his room when he returned home. A dim lamp was on in the living room but he was determined to by-pass whichever brother was still awake and made a bee-line for the stairs.

"Raphael."

He froze. It was Master Splinter. "I wasn't expecting you to be up, Sensei," he said in surprise.

"I must check on Leonardo every few hours still," Splinter replied. "Join me."

Raphael's heart started hammering. He was suddenly self conscious of his scent…sweat, blood and lust. Normally a sign that he'd had a great night, except the blood was April's and Splinter knew it. No point in lying, especially now that he was taking in Raphael's stricken expression with his warm brown eyes. "I, ugh, kind of had a rough night, Sensei. I would really like to hit the sack."

One of Splinter's ears twitched back in irritation but he hid it from his voice and expression. "I think we are overdue for a talk, my son," he said firmly. "Now. Join me."


	27. Chapter 27

Raphael knelt formally on the ground before Master Splinter with a sinking feeling in his gut.

"What happened to Casey?" Splinter asked straightforwardly.

"He…he took a bad hit tonight, Sensei," Raphael said, unable to meet his eyes.

"How bad?"

"He's okay. He's home," Raphael replied.

Splinter closed his eyes and sighed. "I am very disappointed, Raphael. When I trained you, it was so you could protect yourselves and each other from the threats of the outside world. It was _not_ so you could go actively seeking them out."

Raphael cringed, ducking his head a little lower.

"What is it that drives you to strike out on your own and take up such a heavy burden?" Splinter asked, struggling to understand Raphael's ultimately futile pursuit. "You cannot save everyone, nor is it your responsibility to do so."

"Yeah, but the ones I have helped, the horrible things we have prevented or put a stop to…" Raphael trailed off, finally meeting Splinter's gaze. "It's not like our battles against aliens and mutants, or the duty we have to take down the Foot. It's more personal. Real. I've taken dangerous criminals off the streets. I've changed someones life just by being there." He fiddled with the ragged end of his wrist wrap and tried to find the proper words. "And I need it. I need it as much as they do. It gives me…purpose."

"While it is commendable that you want to help people, I feel that taking on such foes as the Kraang has left you without the proper respect and caution human opponents demand. Shredder should have taught you just how evil and dangerous a mere man can be. Your reckless forays into vigilantism have only brought danger upon yourself and those you are closest to. Your family, your friends…the ones you are supposed to protect first and foremost."

Raphael's head tilted towards the floor again, ashamed. "You're right," he admitted. It stung to his core that the role he had taken for himself as protector of his clan was in question.

The pain in Raphael's voice made Splinter soften somewhat. "We all have to choose our paths in life. If you truly feel a calling to the city, I know that forbidding you will only drive you further into secrecy and peril. That it may drive you away from us," Splinter said, his voice turning melancholy before returning to it's authoritative tone. "However, I will not allow you and Casey to the surface alone until he is back to normal. Understood?"

"Hai, Sensei."

"Casey does not have the training you have. If you allow him to be your partner on these patrols you do, he is your responsibility. Talk to him, set a good example for him, because he will follow your lead. Perhaps when things are back to normal I will give you some special training so you will be more prepared, physically and tactically. In the meantime, it pains me to say that I simply no longer trust you or Casey while someone else's person is at stake."

Splinter closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his snout. "Which brings me to my next point. I believe April has set out some guidelines regarding…intimacy. Have you honored them?"

"Yes," Raphael said miserably. The night just kept getting better.

"I admit, I was not expecting things between you and Casey to progress past…temporary curiosity. As much as you two seem to be terrible influences on each other's behavior, I have also seen a deeper connection emerge between you that appears very meaningful. I am concerned that there will be much heartache for you in the near future."

"So am I, Sensei," Raphael sighed.

"It would seem that you need to take some time to meditate and think about _your _path. Examine your emotions instead of just reacting with them. Consider who and what is most important to you, and whether or not your actions are affecting them negatively."

Splinter regarded Raphael thoughtfully, taking in the bowed head and hunched shoulders. He had expected defiance or backtalk. There was something Raphael wasn't ready to tell him that was wearing on his conscience. He shifted forward and rested a paw on his troublesome son. "Now, go get some rest."

Raphael steeled himself against a mild surge of vertigo as he stood and retreated to his room, feeling like his father had removed his center and revealed it for the unstable foundation it was.

**oooooo**

"I said _leave me alone_, Mikey!" Raphael yelled for the fifth time that morning at the insistent knocking on his door.

"It's me." April's voice. The door cracked open and Casey stuck his face in. "Can I join the pity party or is no one else invited?"

"What are you doing up here?" Raphael grumbled, sitting up in his bed.

"I knew you would be up here sulking. I was expecting some emo background music, though." Casey entered the room, lit only by the Jack-o-Lantern lamp, and mindfully left the door open.

"I'm not sulking," Raphael said emphatically, narrowing his eyes.

"He says as he sulks…" Casey narrated.

"You're such an asshole, why do we even hang out?" Raphael asked as the shadow of a smile crossed his lips.

"The irresistible charm of Casey Jones," he answered, plunking down onto the bed.

"You look a lot better today." Casey's cheek was still swollen and bruised, but not nearly what Raphael had expected.

He shrugged. "I'm used to this kind of stuff from hockey. You learn all the tricks to keep the swelling down."

Raphael went quiet and let out a long, slow breath. "What the hell are we doing, Casey?"

The defeated tone of Raphael's voice made Casey nervous. "What?"

"Master Splinter thinks we're burning the candle at both ends and he's right."

"Last night freaked me out too, but who would have thought that a lame Purple Dragon would be packing heat _and_ know how to fight?"

"We should have thought of it," Raphael said, frustrated. "_I_ should have. Neither of us took the threat seriously and it almost got you killed. _As April_. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself."

"Raph, I was going to do this stuff on my own before I met you. With the craziness that goes on in this city, if it wasn't for you, I'd probably already be dead."

"Probably," Raphael agreed. "Let's cool it for now. I don't want to patrol with you until you are back to normal and have some actual training. Real hand to hand."

"Aw shit, it's nanny-Raph again," Casey teased.

"Damn straight. We worked too hard to get that Orb to screw it up. You had better take care of yourself and heal up for April or the first thing I'll do when you change back is throw a beating on you."

"Fine," Casey said as he rolled his eyes. "So now what?"

Raphael considered for a minute or two where they would be most helpful before inspiration struck. "We are going to offer to help Don build the Mech."

**oooooo**

When Raphael and Casey approached Donatello to ask if he would like help on his Turtle Mech, his first impulse was to tell them where to go with explicit instructions on how to get there. Donatello had thought from the beginning that April was being far too lenient with Casey's treatment of her body. This final episode had left her exasperated and irritated, which only inflamed his own frustration with Casey and his equally careless brother exponentially. The pair's only saving grace was the genuinely humble and remorseful expressions on their faces.

So, as usual, Donatello sighed and sucked it up. The invasion was still forthcoming and they had no idea when, so time was of the essence. With his attentions divided between the Turtle Mech and the Neuro-Switcher, both projects were taking too long to complete. Both Raphael and Casey were fairly handy and competent mechanics. Donatello was confident that they would be able to build the outer shell of the robot, leaving him only with the fine wiring, hydraulics and weapons to install. That would free him up to focus on the Neuro-Switcher in the meantime and get April back to normal that much faster.

Donatello agreed and put them to work straight away. All the racket from the garage attracted attention over the next few days, and soon Michelangelo had joined Raph and Casey in building the Mech, and when April needed a change of pace from the lab she would join them as well. Donatello made periodic appearances to play foreman and make sure everything was being assembled properly and answer any questions. Once Leonardo was recovered and could tolerate being around loud noises again, he was met with a great reception by everyone as he also wandered into the garage hoping to lend a hand.

"Leo!" Michelangelo cried from the left shoulder of the headless robot.

Raphael was on the opposite side, reining down sparks as he welded scraps of metal arm together. He lifted his mask and smiled. "Hey bro, come to join Donnie's labor camp?"

Leonardo laughed. "I have. What can I do?"

"Pass me that wrench?" asked April, who was sitting within one of four barred piloting stations.

"Hey, Leo," greeted Casey from the station above April's. He crouched over in the small space and called down to her. "I'm sending the chain down the side here, it needs to attach to that gear."

"What gear?"

"It's not installed yet?" Casey asked as he slipped a length of chain down a gap between them.

Leonardo jumped up to April, holding the bars and passing the wrench through. "This gear?" he asked, holding up the one he had found on the massive metal foot.

April groaned and took it from him. "I'm gonna need help installing this, I have no idea what it's supposed to attach to."

"Be down in a few minutes, Red," Casey said. "Ouch! Son of a…"

"What's the matter, Jones?" Raphael drawled. "Break a nail?"

"Maybe…" Pause. "Yes," Casey mumbled, making everyone laugh.

"So, Leo," April started as she glanced at him sidelong through the bars he was holding. "Now that you're all better, I feel like I can tell you how angry I am with you."

"Why?" Leonardo asked, eyes widening.

She grinned. "I can't believe you asked Mikey to be the maid of honor at your wedding over me. I'm insulted."

"Hey, I would be an awesome maid of honor!" Michelangelo yelled down in defense, making Raph and Casey snicker.

Leonardo blushed. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Not a chance," replied April.

"No way," agreed Michelangelo.

"I wasn't even invited," Raphael quipped before flipping his welding mask back down.

"Come on, guys, I was delirious," Leonardo pleaded.

Donatello appeared at the entrance of the garage, looking stressed. "April, can you help me?" he asked.

"Sure thing, I was getting out of my league over here anyway," she answered, relieved.

Leonardo helped her down the leg and to the ground, the banter starting up again behind her before April even made it to Donnie. "What's up?" she asked him as he helped her over the broken tracks.

"I can't find my notes on fusing energy cores and breaking them back down. I just had them yesterday. Do you have any idea where they might be?"

"I tidied up the desks a bit last night, I'm sure I can find them." She smiled warmly and he relaxed visibly. "Wow, look at this thing!" April exclaimed as they entered the lab. The Neuro-Switcher stood in the center of the open space, fully intact. "Is it ready?"

"Almost…"

Excited, April rifled through the piles of papers she had tucked away in his desk and found his handwritten notes. A shoebox that hadn't been there earlier in the day caught her attention. "Hey, what's in the box?" she asked curiously as she opened it.

"Don't!" Donatello tried to warn, then cringed for the reaction.

Two small furry bodies with blood-flecked faces stared back at her. "What happened to the rats?" she asked, voice shrill.

"The trial run didn't turn out the way I had hoped…"

"What. Happened. To the rats?" she repeated, closing the lid.

"The energy output must be too high and they died," he answered. Looking at the floor, he mumbled, "…from a brain hemorrhage."

"Donnie!"

"That's why I need my notes, I'm reducing the power core. I will make sure it's safe for you," he promised. He looked at the box and frowned. "Please don't tell Raph. He's the one that brought them to me."

"I won't."

Donatello trapped two new rats and had April teach each one a different task for a food reward. Undaunted now that he was so close, Donatello redoubled his efforts to alter the power core. Once complete, he held his breath and commenced the second trial run, hoping his new calculations had been correct. Not only did the rodents survive this time, but Rat A performed Rat B's task and vice versa. He then switched them back and checked all their vital signs to make sure there were no ill-effects with growing excitement.

April, who stood outside the laboratory doors in case of further ratty deaths, heard the joyful whoop within and raced back inside to join Donatello.

"It worked!" he yelled happily. April crashed into to him for a hug and he picked her up and spun her.

"Let's go tell everyone," she said breathlessly, grabbing his hand and pulling him along as soon as her feet touched the ground.

They burst into the dojo together where the others were having an informal evening sparring session. "It's done!" they blurted out in unison, then looked at each other and laughed. Casey and the three turtles paused their match immediately.

"The machine, it's ready," April clarified with a huge smile. "Casey, we can go back now."

"Like, right now?" Casey asked, surprised.

"Yeah!" April's enthusiasm waned when she saw the stricken look Casey and Raphael exchanged. In her excitement, she had forgotten that this was possibly the end for them. "Or, you know, when you're ready. We will wait for you in the lab." She turned to Donatello. "Let's call my dad and find Splinter and let them know," she said, tugging his hand again to retreat.

Leonardo sheathed his swords. "Come on, Mikey, let's hit the showers."

"But we didn't even work up a sweat yet," Michelangelo said.

"Come on, Mikey," Leonardo said pointedly, pulling on his shell to get him moving. He shut the door behind them, leaving Raphael and Casey standing alone in the large empty space.

Raphael sat at the base of the tree and pulled Casey down onto his lap. "I thought we would have more of a heads up," he said, nuzzling into the soft red hair for the last time.

"Thanks for helping me get through all this weirdness," Casey said quietly.

"Ugh, don't thank me. It seems like all we did was screw things up and get in trouble."

"We never seem to learn anything the easy way, that's for sure," Casey said wryly. "Now quit your whining and kiss me."

**oooooo**

April and Donatello waited anxiously in the lab, the minutes that ticked by feeling like an eternity. As soon as Raphael and Casey joined them April took Casey's hand and led him over to the Neuro-Switcher with an encouraging smile. They stood beside each other, shooting nervous glances between them as Donatello charged up the machine. The pink beams shot out and found their targets, making Casey and April both cry out as they felt their conscious minds wrenched from their physical forms and stuffed back into another.

When April returned to her senses she was on the floor. She groaned and cradled her head, getting up on her knees. Donatello was there in an instant, a soft, hopeful expression on his face and his hand stretched out in offering. It reminded her of the day they had first met, when she had chose to take his hand and evade the Kraang. This time she didn't hesitate, pleased to see her own small feminine hand enveloped within his as he helped her to her feet. April swayed and blinked, then felt herself wrapped in warmth as Donatello pulled her into a tight hug, his body dwarfing hers once again. She smiled, her heart swelling almost painfully. She shifted and threw her arms around Donatello's neck dizzily, pulling his head down for a kiss.

Raphael helped Casey up, who stumbled and leaned heavily on one of Raphael's shoulders. "I forgot how short you were," Casey laughed.

"Shut it, Jones," Raphael rumbled, trying to get Casey steady on his feet again.

Their attention was drawn to Donatello and April locked in a passionate embrace only a few feet away. Raphael felt an automatic pang of jealously go through him at the sight. Casey shifted awkwardly and cleared his throat.

April broke the contact, holding Donatello's arm for balance and beaming up at him. Donatello found himself overwhelmed. There she was, after all this time, whole again. The beautiful smile that could split the darkest day with it's light. The spark that danced in her eyes unique only to her. The fiery red locks that matched her spirit. The freckled blush and the mischievous tilt of her head. It left him breathless, knowing that he had finally restored April with a combination of hard work, extreme peril, perseverance and a mishmash of science and technology that spanned dimensions.

April's cellphone buzzed and she checked her text. "Wow, that was fast. My dad is here to pick us up, Casey." She gave Donatello one more quick peck on the cheek. "Sorry, Donnie. He's so excited and we _do_ have a lot to sort out on the surface. See you in a few days?"

"Whenever you're ready," Donatello answered happily.

"See you around, Raph," Casey said, giving Raphael's shoulder a slight squeeze before turning to join April.

"Yeah, see ya," Raphael replied with a halfhearted smile.

Casey and April left the lab leaning on each other and walking like drunkards, leaving the two turtles alone.

Donatello checked on his conflicted brother. "How are you doing, Raph?" he asked gently.

"I don't know. Okay, I guess."

Donatello put a comforting hand on Raphael's shell, truly feeling for his brother's loss. Until April's angry voice broke the silence from down the hall.

"Why am I missing a _tooth_, Casey?!"

Raphael flinched as Donnie's grip on his shell tightened and his brown eyes narrowed. Raphael grinned guiltily and shrugged out of Donatello's grasp. "I think it's my turn to clean the dojo…"


	28. Chapter 28

Kirby brimmed with excitement as Casey helped April into the car and they settled into the backseat together. He wanted to take them out and celebrate, but April had to let him down gently. It was hard for him to understand why they felt out of sorts now that they had been put back to normal. April tried to find the words to explain that despite the familiar sense of coming home, of literally returning to herself, everything felt _off._ Instead she put it in simple terms of side effects; dizziness, nausea, headache. Casey squeezed her hand gratefully and silently.

Trying to keep some sort of conversation going, Kirby started listing off the more pragmatic errands and calls they would need to make to re-establish themselves with as little suspicion as possible. He was trying to be helpful, but when he sensed only overwhelmed silence from the two teens he sighed and took the hint. The change had been hard on them and they needed rest. He backed off when they arrived at home, knowing they would seek him out when they were ready.

April and Casey headed straight for the soft, inviting cushions of the living room couch to relax, breathing dual sighs of relief to have some quiet and solitude. Laying propped up against opposite couch arms with their legs crossed over each other, they stared at one another silently. They felt a distinct need to stay in physical contact, not yet feeling whole without the other. April imagined Master Splinter at her side explaining how they needed to realign their chi or whatnot.

Casey absently rubbed the bruise on his arm. "Damn, Red, it still hurts."

"Maybe if you were capable of keeping a full head of teeth I wouldn't have had to punch you," April answered, quirking an eyebrow. Her tongue automatically delved into the gap between her lower back molars.

"I'll help pay for an implant, I promise."

April looked back at him skeptically, but his eyes were earnest and his lips were set in a lopsided smile that was impossible not to return.

She sunk into a contemplative silence briefly before speaking again. "It's strange how quickly the mind adapts, isn't it? Just a couple of months piloting a different body and I feel like I will need a practice run or two before jumping rooftops again."

"It's funny now that you mention it, I think I've picked up more parkour since hanging out with the guys than ninjitsu."

She giggled. "I know, right? A few years ago I never would have believed what a daredevil I'd become."

Casey laughed. Daredevil was probably the most mundane thing on the long list of unbelievable that came with befriending the turtles. "Hey, you should let me teach you how to skate."

"Maybe…" April said, unsure.

"You're a total speedster, I'm tellin' you," he insisted.

"Well you've already wrecked my boots, so I suppose I could give a try."

Casey's grin widened. "That's the spirit."

April let the corner of her mouth twitch up. They were staring at each other again, at the faces they had worn and grown accustomed to. "I'm never going to be able to look at you the same way again," she said seriously. They both turned a bit red before breaking out into laughter.

"Ah, come on, it wasn't _all_ bad, was it?" Casey asked.

"Nah. It was nice being stronger. Wandering around alone at night without being paranoid was new. The guys talked a bit more openly around me, which was…interesting. They didn't hold back as much in training either, which was great." She looked over at Casey curiously. "How about you? You certainly seemed to enjoy yourself."

"It was a trip, that's for sure," he said. "I hated your psychic thing at first, but it came in handy sometimes. Everyone was kinda nicer to me, even Raph."

April made a face. "He sure was…"

"Not just like _that!_"

"I hope Donnie will still fight with me the way he did. We made a really good team."

"I hated that every single person I fought couldn't believe it when I beat them," he griped. "Thinking that I got a lucky shot or they were having a bad night. It pissed me off."

"Sounds about right," April said dryly.

"You know what the worst part was? I thought I was useless at first. Even after seeing you kick ass, I looked down at myself and believed I was weak. I was just like them."

"Wow, Casey, I think I am actually feeling…proud of you right now," she teased.

He flashed the wide smile that would make dentists shudder and winked.

"I thought it was weird that no one wanted me to touch them," April said wistfully. "I've never had so many people flinch from me as in the first week or two."

Casey shrugged like it was no big deal. "Girls are way too emotional. I can't even believe how many times I cried."

"We are not. You probably needed it, you dork. It wasn't an easy time for either of us." April rested a hand on Casey's shin. "And if you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be right here with two tubs of ice cream."

Casey snorted. "Thanks, April."

**oooooo**

Raphael had never been one to make eyes at one gender or the other. There never seemed to be much point in exploring what traits he found alluring in humans, considering he wasn't one. Not fully anyway, and not nearly enough to pass as one topside. Obviously they had grown up on human media and advertising, which tended to glorify if not exploit women's bodies. Images of what was considered the ideal female were everywhere, and it was certainly easy to appreciate the smooth lines and curves that came together artfully to create the feminine form.

Through the comics and cartoons they devoured as children for entertainment, Raphael also formed the image of the ideal male in his head; a muscle-bound hero with great hair, ripped abs and broad chest. He had looked upon his own small self in the mirror with loathing. Bald head, shell and scrawny arms and legs. He began taking an interest in watching programs about fitness, then later started scavenging the odd muscle mag, learning more about resistance training, weights and exercises that Sensei did not regularly include in their lessons. Their active lifestyle and ninja training went a long way to hone all of them into healthy, toned physiques as they grew. Raphael took the extra time and care to build more muscle mass than his brothers, finally taking pride in himself. As his warrior mentality increased, he realized the combat advantages of his shell and his mutation. He let himself feel a certain superiority over mere men that helped bury his insecurity.

In trying to consider what, if anything, Raphael found attractive about the human male form, his mind instead uncovered the well of repressed anxiety over his own features. To people he was a hideous mutant freak, and he had been sure no one would ever want to look at him let alone be attracted to him. And it wasn't like anyone was going to fall for his sparkling personality. It was a painful thing for him accept at first, but realistic and necessary for his own protection. He had locked down any hope for anything as trivial as romance. He rolled his eyes when Michelangelo swooned over a Hollywood starlet on TV, or at Donnie while he had fruitlessly tried to court April. Then Leo was so struck that he had flirted with their enemy. It was all so ridiculous and seemed a waste of energy, especially when they had so much on their plates already.

His near-instant attraction to Casey once he had expressed himself as a female had surprised him literally more than anyone. Despite his best efforts of shutting his feelings down, they had only grown into the current mess of affairs he found himself in. He was in the distinctly unexpected position to accept or reject a relationship with a human based on their physicality. Not being able to accept Casey as another male would be their only barrier. No one had ever understood him or been able to navigate all of his versatile and sometimes downright hostile moods like Jones. Michelangelo came a close second, though he was more apt to use his powers for evil and spur Raphael into blind rages for his own amusement.

Raphael cursed Casey for days as both he and April were setting their lives to rights on the surface. April called Donatello every night, but Casey didn't bother Raphael. He knew Casey was trying to give him space to think, and it enraged him that it was exactly what he needed. Yet between training, their renewed patrols and time spent with his brothers, his personal time was limited. He resented spending it thinking about things that made him feel uncomfortable and lacking and self-conscious. Things that he had long ago convinced himself he would never have to trifle with in his mind. No, it was much easier to be angry and curse the day he had ever met Casey Jones.

Raphael hit the dojo alone to exercise, his mind decidedly _not_ straying from his tasks as the time went on. Then April skated into the dojo on the boots Casey had modified. His heart betrayed him by jumping up into his throat before he managed to slowly and painfully lower it back into his chest. He watched April brake unsteadily a few feet in front of him, arms out for balance, face twisted with concentration as she found the mechanism to pop the blades and wheels back up.

She let out a relieved breath once her feet were firmly on the ground again and gave Raphael an embarrassed smile. "Hey."

"Hey, April," he greeted, trying to keep his voice nonchalant.

He inhaled subtly and she smelled just the way she should, like vanilla and the flowery body spray she hadn't used since being a boy. She wore her favorite outfit, the yellow tee shirt and jean shorts with black tights beneath. Her red hair was brushed and clean and neatly back in a ponytail and hairband. His eyes dropped to her boots.

"Oh! I'm sorry," April said suddenly, following his gaze. "Was that weird for you?"

Raphael shrugged. "Little bit."

"Casey wanted to teach me how to use them so bad. He thinks I have a natural talent for it, but so far I really suck," she admitted with a smile.

"Keep practicing," he said, one side of his red mask quirking up. "Donnie's in the garage."

She met his gaze almost shyly. "I know. I wanted to come see you first. I want to make sure we are okay. I don't want to mess up our friendship and if you aren't ready for me to be around yet…"

"No," Raphael said before she could finish. He couldn't be that selfish, Donnie was dying to see her. "I'm fine. We're fine. Don't even think that you could mess up our friendship. You've been the most understanding and patient person through all of this, even when we didn't deserve it. Which was most of the time."

She smiled warmly but he looked down at the floor, rubbing the back of his neck and shifting his weight.

"If anything," he said, "I was worried I might make _you_ uncomfortable."

"Hah! Uncomfortable?" she laughed. "I know you think you got fairly well acquainted with this body, but Casey literally knows everything about me. And vice versa. Coping with that has been interesting, but in the end all we can do is laugh about it. No point in getting all weird," she said with a shrug. "Besides, I set personal boundaries and you respected them when I wasn't there."

Raphael met her eyes with a knowing smile. "You checked his mind didn't you?"

"Of course I did! You guys are crazy," she replied with a laugh. "So, friends?" she asked, holding her arms open for a hug.

"Friends," Raphael agreed. He returned her hug briefly and loosely, struck by how familiar and distant she felt at the same time.

"Casey is coming by tomorrow," April said casually. "His absence was a bit more complicated to explain when he resurfaced. Luckily, his reputation for being a wild child is working in his favor."

Raphael scoffed. "Dumb ass," he muttered. His attention shifted back to April. "You know, I'm going to expect a lot more from you in the dojo from now on. I saw Casey take out guys three times your size with one or two hits."

"I will keep that in mind," she laughed.

"Seriously, Red," Raphael said softly. "Don't hold back and they'll never see you coming. You are going to be a great kunoichi."

"Thanks, Raph," she responded, caught off guard by the compliment.

"No problem. Now, don't break my brother's heart or I'll kick your ass."

**ooooooo**

Face illuminated by a pink glow, Donatello carefully added on the smaller energy sources from his leftover Kraang blasters to the power core he had created for the Neuro-Switcher. The dismantled guns were in disarray all around where he sat, awaiting his attention to be reassembled into larger weapons for the Turtle Mech. Right then he focused only on fusing the cores together properly. Until, of course, a flash of yellow in his otherwise drab surroundings caught his attention peripherally.

"A-April?" he stuttered in surprise. He felt nervous even as a grin spread across his face at the sight of her. He suddenly didn't trust himself to not inadvertently blow them up and distanced himself from the energy core.

"Hi, Donnie," she answered with a soft smile. April picked her way through the chaotic mess to where Donatello fidgeted, leaning on the giant truck grill that served as the better portion of his Turtle Mech's 'face.' She glanced over at the glowering alien cell. "The switcher?"

"Decommissioned," Donatello confirmed. His eyes swept over her, his heart singing to see her comfortable within her own skin again.

She was perfect. He felt a hammering in his chest as his old insecurities squirmed through his brain. _Maybe she wasn't ready for this. Maybe she had changed her mind completely._ He realized he was just staring at her and grasped for something appropriate to say to break the lengthening silence.

April's cheeks turned pink under his practically awe-struck gaze. She could see him struggling in his own head, noted his body language, his subtle but slowly increasing distress. Finally she could read him. She reached out and grasped his forearm gently, urging him to meet her eyes.

Donatello released a long breath, feeling grounded once more. Her radiant blue eyes held him to the spot.

"I missed you," she said sincerely.

Her thumb grazed over the smooth scar above his wrist, her touch and her words infusing him with warmth. That scar. From the lucky shot that had made him duck for cover before he could change her and Casey back on that fateful night.

"I missed you, too," he replied, his voice barely registering to him over the sound of his pulse in his head. Donatello wanted to relax, wanted to be daring and just pull her into him and kiss her. Instead the tension built up again and started to boil over. "I understand if you…" he blurted haltingly. "I mean, I don't ever want you to feel obligated…" He cursed himself soundly and silently in the back of his mind.

Paying no bother to the mechanical grime he was generously marked up with, April pressed herself into him, her cheek resting against his plastron. His heart thudded by her ear. Donatello wrapped his arms around her tightly and his breath chuffed into her hair, tickling her throat. He held onto her like a dream he could never return to if he let go. She didn't rush him, and slowly April felt his anxiety melt away bit by bit. Her hands crept up his chest, over his collarbones and entwined around the back of his neck. She rose up on her toes and tilted her head to find his mouth, which met hers eagerly.

Donatello discovered that sometimes words were not needed. That he didn't have to fumble through his brain to try and articulate what was in his heart. Their kiss spoke volumes, made his knees feel like rubber. He backed up carefully through the metal carnage, never quite breaking contact.

Finally the back of his thighs brushed against the cool leather of a discarded truck seat. They tumbled back onto it, gasped in alarm as it jolted and settled under their weight against a pile of debris, then laughed. The chair had tipped back on a slight angle leaving April astride Donatello, her hands braced against his upper plastron and her face just above his. Her eyes danced with mischief. Her smile was bright enough to put the sun to shame. She _was_ his sun. Without her, he was certain his life would be cold and dark.

"I love you," Donatello said, finding his voice.

April nuzzled into the crook of his neck, then pressed a line of gentle kisses up the side of his face. Her hand tugged at his mask, pulling it free, her lips brushing his temple. "I love you too, Donnie," she murmured against his skin, banishing any lingering doubts. No tricks, no dream, no illusion. It solidified into reality in his mind, became fact. Don and April, together, immutable.

Donatello tried to wipe away a streak of grease from her face with his thumb but only managed to smudge it more along her freckled cheek. She giggled as he smirked at own grimy hand. "Genius," he huffed under his breath. The warmth of her lips returned to his and he let his hands drop to her slender waist. He hummed in contentment and let her deepen their kiss, that white electric heat coursing through him in waves from his mouth to his toes as her tongue playfully found his. So easily April made everything fade away until it was only the two of them. So easily she soothed and quieted his brain.

He felt that this, in a way, was really their first kiss. She had not been herself when they had kissed in his bed. The second time, right after she had switched back, he had been left with a curious aftertaste that didn't seem to fit her and had a moment of horror as he realized it was Raph. _This_ kiss felt right. It felt pure. All the pieces had fallen into place; the picture was complete. _He_ was complete.


	29. Chapter 29

"Pull!" April called from atop a scaffold, shoulder high to the Turtle Mech.

All four turtles and Splinter heaved on a thick cable that ran through the giant pulley Donatello had rigged up in the garage. The nearly completed head of the Mech that was suspended from the other end rose another couple of feet into the air to a chorus of grunts, dangling precariously halfway up the body. She waited until they regained secure holds before yelling down for them pull once more.

Casey sauntered into the garage and stopped in his tracks, eyes widening and mouth dropping open. The massive metal cranium was heavy enough to give all five mutants a hard time and he rushed to fall into line behind them. Steadily the Mech's head climbed higher until it hovered above the machine.

"Okay guys, to the left," April commanded. They all side-stepped. "Little more…stop! Bring it down."

They let up on the cable slowly until the loud creak and clank of metal signaled that the Turtle Mech had a head upon it's shoulders. They all cheered and April scrambled down the scaffold to join them.

"You make an excellent foreman, my dear," Donatello told her as he scooped an arm around her waist. April gave him a bright smile and leaned into his side.

"Good thing I showed up when I did, you guys would've never gotten that thing up there without me," Casey teased, earning a laugh from everyone.

"Yeah, show up when we're almost done and take credit for it," Raphael scoffed.

Splinter, Leonardo and Michelangelo started drifting away from the garage, leaving Raphael and Casey to regard one another in a now uneasy silence. Mikey was excitedly offering to make a late lunch for everyone, and Raphael dimly registered that he and Casey were being encouraged to join them. Raphael turned away from their awkward stare first. Blood already pumping from physical exertion, he felt a queasy sensation worm it's way through his gut as they trailed the trio ahead silently through the tunnel. Donatello and April stayed behind, presumably to work on the Mech or make out or both. At least _those two_ knew where they stood.

Raphael became a bundle of nerves in the short distance between the garage and lair. He was so lost in his own head that he agreed to try whatever new recipe Mikey was going on about and had possibly committed to a meditation session later that evening with Leo. Raphael and Casey drifted to a stop just outside the cooking area and well out of the way of the ensuing chaos. Splinter and Leonardo were attempting to amend the ingredient list to 'Casserole Surprise' as Michelangelo threw a clashing assortment of food onto the counter. Mikey protested loudly, but apparently there was some concern over what the surprise was going to be.

Raphael braved a glance up at Casey, who was pointedly watching the others and avoiding looking at him. Casey rarely exuded insecurity and Raphael felt a sharp twist of guilt for being the one to make him feel that way. He was frustrated with his own uncertainty and the nauseating storm of undefinable emotions swirling though him. Falling back on what seemed like his default setting, Raphael let anger take the lead and he ground his teeth. He wasn't used to being indecisive or timid. He was used to facing his problems head on and ferociously. Catching Leonardo's furtive glance at them from the kitchen broke the last of his patience with the whole situation.

"We have to talk," Raphael blurted, grabbing Casey by the forearm. The suddenness of it made Casey jump but he followed willingly as Raphael half dragged him off towards the stairs.

"Really?" Leonardo asked, his blue mask quirking up to one side. "Right…now?"

"Do not disturb under penalty of death," Raphael warned as an answer. "Penalty of death, Mikey!" he clarified loudly before his bedroom door banged shut.

"As if," Michelangelo said under his breath. He wasn't in the mood for a double beat down, but he used the distraction to add sardines and hot sauce into his concoction, wishing he could out-ninja Leo for the bag of jellybeans he was holding.

Splinter noticed and decided on his own snack, graciously accepting a cheesicle from Ice Cream Kitty. He took a nibble and regarded Leonardo, who was watching him carefully.

"You're okay with them? Up there, alone?" Leonardo asked, confused. Splinter had been pretty strict on Don and Raph with the 'door open' policy.

Splinter twitched his whiskers and eyed Leonardo with a tilt of his head. "I have learned these past many years that the key to my sanity is also the first lesson of survival as a ninja. Choose your battles wisely."

**oooooooo**

Raphael shut his door and spun back to Casey, abruptly feeling like a dog who had caught up to the car it was chasing. _Now what?_ He knew they should probably talk and figure things out, but again, that wasn't his strong suit. He didn't know where to start. Raphael stood awkwardly at the threshold and took a steadying breath to calm the urge to run. He crossed the small space stiffly and sat on the edge of his bed. That wasn't any better and he shifted uncomfortably, feeling like every move he made was wrong somehow. Casey seemed to tower over him as he stood a few feet away and peered down at him expectantly. Hauling Casey into his bedroom to escape eves-dropping brothers suddenly seemed like a really bad idea.

It had been one thing for Raphael to say he would keep an open mind once Casey changed back, but now that the time had come all he felt was anxiety. His friend had just taken a two month hiatus from his entire life and his transition back likely hadn't been easy. Raphael didn't want to make it worse but the pressure was making his mind go blank. He was going to screw up everything. _Goddammit, Leo had been right all along._

Casey leaned on Raphael's dresser and watched his mind war with itself, waiting to see if Raph was going to get it together on his own. It was clear that he was having a complete internal freak out. Casey was wound up tight himself, but it was looking more and more like he was going to have to salvage the situation before Raphael blew a fuse. The last thing Casey wanted to deal with was Raph in full-on fight or flight mode.

"The Mech is looking pretty rad," Casey commented. "We should sneak into the garage one night and paint it up like Iron Man."

Raphael snorted back a laugh and looked up at Casey dubiously.

"What?" Casey added innocently. Raphael gave him _that look_, where one eye was kind of squinted and his mouth was a tight line. It meant he was annoyed and trying to stay that way, yet willing to hear him out, _but this had better be good_.

Raphael knew when he was being handled and that it should piss him off, but Casey had a knack for catching him off-guard and derailing the momentum of his temper. For a moment all he could think about was the look on Don's face if he went into the garage one morning and found his war machine decked out in red and gold. "You are something else, Jones," he said, shaking his head.

"Obviously…" Casey retorted with the cockiest grin he could muster.

Finally Raphael met Casey's warm brown eyes, trying to suppress a half-smile and failing miserably. He glanced at the door. "Maybe we should just go back downstairs," Raphael said. "Play some video games or something."

"How about the dojo?" Casey suggested. "You signed us up to try Mikey's newest kitchen experiment. We should probably stay out of sight."

Raphael winced. "Oh, right. Hey, didn't you…April…get gut-shot at the Technodrome?"

"That was like, three weeks ago, and it was just a graze," Casey said, waving his hand dismissively. "Check it out, it's going to leave an epic scar," he said, stepping forward and lifting his grubby gray tee shirt to display his left side.

The wound had healed over into a roughly four inch jagged line above his hip, angling down towards his back. The scar tissue was smooth but still strikingly red. Raphael wasn't convinced it was healed up enough for them to be throwing each other all over the place or sparring with weapons. Gently but firmly he pushed along the scar with the pad of his thumb. "Does that hurt? And don't lie, ya nut."

Casey looked down at Raphael prodding his bared flesh and held his breath. He hadn't really thought this move through and he was starting to regret it. "Noit'sfine," he said, letting it out in one rushed exhale. Raphael was experienced enough with slash wounds to call bullshit on him, knowing it was still tender and could reopen if he took a hit there, but at the moment all Casey could feel was the light pressure of Raphael's fingertip sending all kinds of mixed signals to all points of his body.

Raphael frowned and tipped his head to glare at Casey, ready to tell him if they did spar it would have to stay light, except Casey was staring down at him and he couldn't find his voice. The queasy flight of butterflies went through his belly at Casey's expression, one that he recognized but had never seen on _this_ face. Raphael's heart skipped a beat or five at his own blunder. His thumb dragged across the entire scar in one quick sweep as he pulled his hand away and Casey shivered. Raphael snapped his hand back the rest of the way and Casey yanked down his shirt, blushing.

"Sorry."

"It's cool," Casey said tightly, feeling anything but.

Casey was jittery again and Raphael growled inaudibly in disdain as their cowardice went full circle. What the hell was wrong with them? They had faced armies and monsters. They were the ones that would throw themselves into any battle with a damn smile.

"This is stupid," Raphael declared. "Just get over here already." Either way they were friends, and whatever happened in the next few minutes would be better than Casserole Surprise no matter how awkward.

Casey settled on the side of Raphael's bed with trepidation. Raphael shot him a sour sideways glance. "I've seen you look happier to fight Fish Face."

"Your brother was madly in love with April and couldn't deal with this body. I don't expect you to," he admitted.

"My brother is a very particular kind of guy," Raphael said carefully. "Everything is in the details for him."

Raphael tried to unwind the tight knot in his stomach, inhaled deeply and focused on Casey. His scent had returned to what Raphael was accustomed to and associated with the essence of Casey Jones; aggression, sweat and the faintest trace of blood, cut with the crisp smell of ice.

"Did you get into a fight on your way here?" Raphael asked, amused. "Or just hockey practice?"

"Both," Casey said in surprise, his scarred eyebrow raising. "Your sense of smell really freaks me out."

"That would be what freaks you out," Raphael muttered.

"I know I'm gonna regret this, but what do I smell like to you?" Casey asked curiously.

"A penalty box."

Casey snickered and pushed Raph playfully in the arm, who automatically shouldered him roughly in retaliation. For a few minutes everything seemed just as it should be. The two of them swatted and shoved at each other, grinning and working up to a full-on skirmish. Instead, they paused abruptly when Casey managed to tilt Raphael partially onto his shell. Raphael planted his hands on either side of himself to catch his balance and Casey leaned over him ever so slightly, one palm flat against the middle of his plastron just above his belt. His laser green eyes went wide and he and froze. Casey turned away quickly, resuming his position sitting on the side of the bed, his feet and gaze fixed firmly on the floor.

Raphael's heart felt like it was trying to run a marathon without him, and he couldn't tell if he was excited, terrified, disturbed or having a heart attack. The question behind Casey's eyes before he tore them away from his had been hanging between them for weeks. There had been a vulnerability there that Raphael had never seen before, and again guilt started to pluck at him. He owed Casey an honest effort and some closure. He sighed and sat up straight, finding himself just behind Casey's shoulder.

He closed his eyes and slowly lowered his face, nuzzling into the crook of Casey's neck. His hair was shorter but still soft and pleasantly ticklish. Casey reacted in much the same way as he had before; he let his head loll to the side to expose more of his throat. Raphael brought his hands up to settle around Casey's waist, which still felt scrawny. Actually kissing along his neck seemed too adventurous right then, so Raphael tested him with a couple of playful nips instead.

Casey laughed in surprise, spinning to the left to elbow Raphael in the bicep. His torso twisted and bent in Raphael's loose grip, an impossible motion for anyone with a shell. Sometimes the flexibility of his human friends still threw him off, especially when he could _feel_ it. It made him wonder…

Raphael hooked a thumb under his tee shirt and pulled it up, half expecting Casey to leap off the bed. He didn't, but peeked back over his shoulder.

"Raph?"

"Do that again."

"Elbow you?" Casey asked, confused. He shrugged and swung his elbow back at Raphael's arm again, harder this time just because he was being such a whack job.

There was something equally troubling and graceful about the way his frame could bow and twist. "Geez, you look as broken as you feel when you do that," Raphael said, poking the spot where his left kidney would be. Absolutely nothing there to protect a vital organ from impact. _Humans_.

"You act like you've never seen a back before."

"I haven't," Raphael said, like it should be the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh. Yeah." It was easy to forget how sheltered they were, how many things they had only ever seen on TV or in photos. Like human beings up until very recently. So despite having been practically jerseyed, Casey sat still with his shirt bunched up around his neck as the turtle satisfied his morbid curiosity.

Raphael was fascinated by the vertical groove of his spine between muscle. Starting from between his shoulder blades, he ran a finger down just hard enough to feel the slight bump of each vertebrae. He continued all the way down to where Casey's red boxers peeked out of the top of his jeans before retracing the path up towards his neck. Then he rested his hand flat against him, the skin smooth and warm as Casey leaned into it.

Raphael's slow, gentle touches were starting to make Casey squirm and feel hot enough to break a sweat. Of all the ways Casey had pictured this going, an increasingly tormenting exploration of his person while he tried to stay passive was not one of them. He was feeling restless and a bit more confident that he wouldn't spook Raphael if he moved. His hiked up shirt was also driving him crazy, and it occurred to him that he didn't have to follow April's rules anymore and he could take his damned shirt off he wanted to. He stood up and flung his tee off and onto the floor.

He turned to face Raphael again, who looked surprised and kind of lost in the center of his bed. "It was bugging me," Casey said with a shrug.

All the training April had been doing the past couple of months had kept Casey in top form. The muscles of his thin, wiry body were cut. April's stomach had been flat but soft, while Casey's abdomen was defined in a classic 'six pack' and reminded Raphael vaguely of the median lines in a plastron. On impulse he leaned forward and ran his fingers over the shallow ridges of Casey's abs. Nowhere near as pliant as April, but with much more give than a plastron and apparently much more sensitive as well. Raphael felt the muscles twitch beneath his fingertips and Casey groaned and shifted his weight. When Raph traced down one side of the V-shaped groove that disappeared below the line of his jeans, starting from the scar and dipping down to his belt, Casey hissed through his teeth. Raphael lost his nerve and pulled away in a blink.

Casey couldn't stand idly by any longer. His whole body was on fire and he needed to do _something_. He wasn't sure how Raphael was going to react to his advances but he more than ready to find out. Raphael tensed as Casey closed the distance between them. His knees sunk into the mattress on either side of Raph's legs and as Casey grabbed hold of the top of his plastron, Raphael leaned back and tried to avoid a kiss. Casey wasn't having any of it and wrapped an arm around his neck, clutched the tails of his red bandana and planted a rough kiss on his face, missing his lips almost completely. Casey chuckled at his own clumsiness and tried again, only this time Raphael turned his head sharply into it. Casey felt himself go stiff from head to toe as their mouths met, even though it only lasted the few seconds it had taken for him to process that it had even occurred.

Raphael stopped to assess what was happening. Everything was so different and so familiar at the same time. Mostly his thoughts ran towards _Holy shit, I can't believe I'm doing this_, but that wasn't so different than the first few times they had kissed. Casey's lips hadn't felt much different either; they were soft and warm and pliant. Raphael wasn't finding any major internal hurdles besides nerves as of yet, but he wasn't sure if the simple absence of them meant he should keep going. He was more curious than aroused at the moment, while the opposite was true for Casey.

Casey noticed his distracted expression and frowned. "Is it too weird?"

Raphael considered a moment. "It was kinda weird when you were April, too."

This was the perfect opportunity to stop before it turned into something more involved and complicated. Raphael took in the scene before him. Casey sat astride his legs just above his knees, shirtless and flustered, looking like he was preparing to take a hit and shake it off. And Casey _would_ shake it off eventually, and very likely find someone as normal as he could tolerate up on the surface to make him happy.

That thought set off the first jolt of rebellion in Raphael's chest and mind. He didn't want Casey to find someone else. Casey was _his_. The very thought of him involved romantically with another person set off a quiet rage in the back of his consciousness. He didn't like to admit even to himself how much Jones made him feel accepted, understood and wanted. Admitting that he _needed_ it was even worse. It meant trusting someone with an important part of him, relying on them to keep it safe when he was too angry or devastated to guard it himself.

Raphael had spent too much time thinking about the bigger picture, wondering whether he was attracted to men or women or both, and what label would be placed upon him once he figured it out. Really all he had needed to do was ask himself about _Casey_. Raphael _still_ didn't give a crap about humans of either gender, or much of humanity in general. Casey wasn't like them. He would never make him feel like a monster; he was crazy enough that he liked that Raph was different.

Raphael smirked at his own stupidity and leaned forward, his mouth meeting Casey's lips firmly. He felt Casey smile against him before he returned the exchange with vigor, clamoring up Raphael's lap and throwing his arms around his neck. Raphael pressed him closer, feeling Casey's heat seep into him and soothe the calamity of emotion within.

"Are you…sure?" Casey managed between breaths. Raphael's hands were all over him and Casey was in a cautious state of elation, but if Raph changed his mind and let him crash and burn after this point the turtle was going to get a black eye.

Instead of dignifying his question with an answer considering their current entanglement, Raphael responded by nipping Casey's lower lip just hard enough to make him twitch. Of course Raphael shouldn't have been surprised when Casey bit him back, but he was and he jerked his face away with a strange combination of snarl and moan. Before he could regroup Casey threw his entire weight into him, knocking Raphael onto his shell and holding him down in a wrestlers pin, assaulting his throat with lips and teeth. The low, rumbling chur left him before he could stop it, that noise Casey loved to tease out of him before giving him a damned smug smile.

Casey's hand started to roam, feeling out hard muscle and seeking all the softer and more sensitive spots on Raphael's body. All the ones above the belt, anyway. April's rules. A shiver of anticipation ran up Raphael's shell at the thought of being able to do whatever they wanted. Not that he was anywhere close to being ready for the next big step, but it was exciting knowing that the option was there once they were. Raphael let his hands wander over Casey, more insistently this time. As nice as the soft, plush curves had been, there was a definite appeal to Casey's lean, rough and tumble form.

Raphael made a show of struggling to get out from under Casey's pin, really making him work to adjust his weight and holds to supposedly keep him down between firm, combative kisses. Soon Casey was breathing heavy and red-faced, eyes narrowed dangerously as he realized Raph was going to flip him. Casey growled in frustration, flashing his teeth.

_Challenge accepted_. Raphael gave him the smallest of grins and a predatory look, upending him off the bed and onto the floor with one swift movement before diving after him.


	30. Chapter 30

**EPILOGUE**

"So I officially moved out of my dad's place," Casey said with a smile, watching Raphael's bandana tails lash out behind him on the wind. It was colder than usual for September and even more so hanging out ten storeys in the air.

"That's great," Raphael replied, truly relieved.

"Yeah, Kirby's cool, and by this point April and I are practically siblings anyway. It's nice living with someone who knows about you guys and what we do, not having to sneak around to come visit or hide all the weird shit that happens to us. It makes me feel more like part of the club, not just your tag-along."

Raphael was scanning the streets below, thinking of moving on to a different area. It was a slow night. "You were never just my tag-along, Jones," Raphael said, rolling his eyes. "We don't have many allies. You are Hamato Clan now, whether you like it or not. You've been through all the initiations."

"Yeah? And what would those be?" Casey asked skeptically.

"You've been put in your place by Splinter, bitched out by Leo, had your ass kicked by me, been pranked by Mikey and experimented on by Don."

Casey laughed. "I would have thought the constant threat of alien invasion and death by ninja or monster would have been in there somewhere."

"No, that's just a given when we're around," Raphael grumbled.

"Hey, what do you want for your birthday this weekend?" Casey asked.

Ah yes, their 17th mutation day. Raphael rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. "A cake," he answered. "A real cake, with any color icing but green."

A few rooftops over, Leonardo crouched in the darkness, a small smile briefly crossing his lips as they laughed. He was only checking up on Raphael in passing. Satisfied that they were alright, he took off alone and unseen, a blade in the night.

There was a different vibe around the lair now, one of togetherness and hope. Leo liked to watch how cute and sickly-sweet Donnie and April were together. Even on the rare occasions when they argued you could see that they loved each other. Raph and Casey together as a couple had come as a very mild shock and an easy adjustment. Their strange relationship and whatever it was that passed as affection between the two had brought them more stability, both emotionally and spiritually. Mikey seemed to absolutely thrive on the positive energy. Kirby had become their Sunday morning chef, his family tradition growing from two settings to eight. Sometimes he had panic attacks about the Kraang or from catches of memories as a mutant and took solace with Splinter and his calming teas. Soon they would be talking about fatherhood and exchanging embarrassing stories about their children, and of course Splinter had four times as many to tell.

Most days Leonardo was content. His family was happy and relatively safe, and that should have been enough. Except...

Other days he was left restless and with an unexplainable heaviness in his chest. It drove him out, alone, in an attempt to search out and eliminate the unseen threat before it could touch the others and ruin their felicity. The Kraang invasion was still going to happen, it was common knowledge that loomed over them at the back of their minds. What Leonardo sensed was something else altogether. If he could only find it, if he could only figure it out...

On the nights like these, Leonardo ran until his body was too exhausted for anxiety. Somehow he always ended up at the church, resting on the roof until his pulse slowed and his breathing steadied. Then, perched like a gargoyle on the ledge, he would stare down at the parking lot and remember a Cheshire smile in the darkness and the feeling of lips on his own. He hadn't seen her since that day. He wanted to believe that she was safe, that Shredder had never discovered her betrayal. He wanted to feel her against him again. He allowed himself to hope, let it destroy the foreboding feeling within him for another interval, then gathered his remaining energy to return home.

* * *

_**Note:** In this AU, Karai never left Shredder and her mutation story arc never happened, but otherwise I've tried to keep it fairly within the realm of the show. I ended off with Leo because you can see him slowly falter from the stress towards the end of Season 2, and his life is permanently changed by The Invasion, which our favorite heroes have managed to delay in this story._

_**To my readers:** Oh my gosh it's done! I had no idea what I was undertaking when I started with this story. I want to thank everyone who has stuck with me till the end and special thanks to all of my reviewers. Honestly, sometimes reading your reviews was the motivation I needed to finish a chapter or overcome writer's block. I have been so nervous to let you guys down, so I really hope you have enjoyed my fic. **I LOVE YOU GUYS!**_

_**Much love and thanks to my Stealthy Stories 'support group': Novus Ordo Seclorum, TheIncredibleDancingBetty, The Nerdfighter, Jay Jones and calloutdrummer**_


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